


Half-Life

by Kuromori (Charred_Ground), sumire (sometimesafangirl)



Category: Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle, X -エックス- | X/1999, xxxHoLic
Genre: Alternate Reality, Demons, Gods, M/M, Magic, Modern, Rebirth, Yaoi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-01-10
Updated: 2017-11-16
Packaged: 2018-05-12 21:50:40
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 17
Words: 92,067
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5682067
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Charred_Ground/pseuds/Kuromori, https://archiveofourown.org/users/sometimesafangirl/pseuds/sumire
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>From the authors of Broken and Telam: In all the worlds there is one undeniable proof. The dead can never come back. When the universe takes a life it restores the balance by providing that soul with another body in another place with no memory of the life it once lived. What happens when one figures out a way around the rules and still manages to play the game?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Blood on my Name

Bodies don’t generally fall out of the sky. At least not without a contributing factor. A plane perhaps, or even some sort of circus attraction that went awry, but overall bodies were not the type of thing you would expect to fall out of nowhere. It hadn’t phased Fai at the moment he saw the telecast, and he barely paid the scrolling marquee much notice, but now it was the most prevalent thing in his mind. It was strange, the things that took precedence in one’s brain at the most random of moments.

“Woah there.” Slender fingers tightened around an invisible lariat as it trembled and shook with the victim’s final death throes. Fai didn’t particularly care for doing things this way. He liked for it to be quick and swift. This type of slow death made him feel like a spider waiting its prey, and the mental analogy left much to be desired. 

He sighed softly when the line gave a final twitch of fleeting life, and he walked over to the closest pillar to tie it off. He then took a series of paces back as he moved away from where the body was strung up as a gruesome foreground in the macabre backdrop of derelict barn roof. He didn’t bother to look up. Corpses, no matter what their state, made a person feel uncomfortable and real death masks were all the same once enough had been seen. Fai had plenty of nightmare fuel stocked away as it was. Instead he slid his slight frame behind a stone and mortar column and counted.

“One Mississippi, two Mississippi, three Mississippi, four Mississippi, five Missi-.” The floor boards exploded in a rain of damp shrapnel. Slivers of swamp-decayed wood flew in all directions. Fai pressed himself harder against the other side of the pillar, using the crumbling structure to shield his body from the debris. Luckily the wet southern air made the splinters too sodden to carry much distance, and the larger pieces fell with heavy thuds to the floor.

Fai smelled the creature before he could see it. It was nocuous, dark, dank, fecal, and reminiscent of mildew. All the scents of the swamp congealed into one living sludge of a mass. He hated North American demons. Hated them on a level of sensibility and form, how one might despise a fashion trend or newest pop song. Fai’s eyes narrowed in disgust. These particular demons were unsophisticated and gaudy things, typical of children’s nightmares with no imagination or sense of self. They were unpracticed ghouls and immature in their very nature. They were drooling, crazed, half-starved beasts and were not capable of much more, very unlike their brothers across the ocean. In Europe, those creatures required a fineness, a grace, and an allure. They always needed to deal and seduce. They were the type that took their time and selected victims with care. A victim, after all, was a status. The better the victim, the better the demon. 

This mess in front him held no such status. This kind latched on to anyone it could and ate it raw until there was little left. The poor souls didn’t even know enough to beg for death, which was for the best, Fai figured. They were never the best of people in the first place. The man suspended above him was convicted of a multitude of sex crimes and a murder on top of all that. Fai felt little guilt for the victim as it hung limp in the strands that were only now becoming visible as little shimmers of reflected moon light. There was no saving people after a certain point and that was normally when Fai was called in.

This wasn’t his particular forte and he didn’t enjoy exorcisms or banishment cases, but as they came down the pipe line to him, he would take them on. These kinds of displays of brute force did help stabilize a reputation, and that was sometimes more valuable than money.

“I know you’re here,” The creature’s voice garbled out with sludge and water bubbling each word. “I smell you.” The creature appeared to quiver in some demonic desire. Which boggled Fai to no end. These demons were not known for their ability to think, much less converse or feel emotions other than hunger.

“That makes two of us.” Fai stepped out from behind his stone protection. 

“Why do you come?” 

“I’d figure the answer to that was pretty obvious. Man creates demon, demon eats man, man destroys demon. Circle of Life.” He waved his hand through each iteration. 

“I have no quarrel with you.” It was all Fai could do to keep his feet steady as a stench of rotten flesh burbled out with that voice.

“Well, unfortunately that isn’t how this works. You see that man hanging from the rafters there?” Fai pointed dramatically. “Apparently someone cared enough about him to reach out for help.” Fai leaned his shoulder against the pillar, the posture purposely disrespectful. 

“My host was killed by you.” The words gurgled. 

“There was nothing left of him. I may have killed him, but you were killing him. I did him a favor. At least he died with a soul intact. Though considering what’s in store for him on the other-side, he might have preferred oblivion. ” Fai spoke the last part with a dry undertone. 

“Pah. Humans and their souls. It means very little to us. Haven’t you figured that out yet?” Fai heard a faint movement behind him. Something wet was pushing through broken bits of wood, but then as if noticing it was detected, the movement stopped. Fai’s eyes widened and he dodged quickly to his left, leading his shoulder down for a roll before he sprang to his feet again. As soon as he gained his footing a tar slick tentacle slammed against the masonry work beside his head. The impact made a squelching sound, splattering viscus fluid in the air. Fai suppressed a shudder as he felt a drop against his skin. 

The dance between human and demon kept on for a few more turns, and each time the creature reacted faster as if anticipating the other man’s movements, which never allowed for him to regain a proper footing. All around Fai, tendrils of swamp sludge wiggled and writhed, crisscrossing each other and artfully avoiding the crystalline strands that still held the corpse high above them. 

“Oh crap.” Fai became uncomfortably aware of his lack of foresight. He looked around himself with a cautious side eye as he jumped back one more time. All around him were sinuous tendrils of rot. Now that he was forced to get a better look at them, he could see bits of debris moving within the tar-like slime that coated the demon’s appendage. Moss, wood and various fauna moved and flowed around him like a liquid skin, sticking to the creature. Fai cursed once between his teeth realizing he had become the fly. 

“Though,” The demonic sludge started. He imagined a slow smirk spreading across its face as he spoke. “Perhaps you’ve done me a favor, young one.” Fai pressed back against the wall of warping wood; he had run himself out of escape routes. “I don’t think I will be at a loss for long, young little mage.” Fai felt his stomach roll as a tendril spread from one of the oozing branches beside him. The cylinder of blacken rot spread into five sinuous fingers and a mockery of a human palm reached for his face. The flush of exacerbation quickly fled from Fai’s already pale cheeks, and the young man was sure he looked a little green instead.

“Ah, you are young, but there’s potential.” As Fai bit his lip against the bile in his throat he thought he saw golden eyes flicker somewhere from within the demon’s face. “With you, there would be little I could not do. There’s pain, oh yes, sweet pain.” He felt the pull the demon was placing around his mind, a helmet of manipulation, and Fai felt his judgment wane. It suddenly might not have mattered what that the thing before him was nothing but a monster, and visions filled his head. Visions of a creature of beauty, grace, power and what could be. Fai saw himself with the demon, a shadow over his shoulder, and they were unstoppable. “You are untapped, unspoiled.” The creature purred. “Let me spoil you.”

“Ew.” Fai shook his head from the thoughts that filled it. “I’d rather not.” Fai was young, but he was a quick study. Growing up as he had didn’t allow much room for hesitation. He had learned the hard way the real meaning of the phrase ‘kill or be killed.’ Most people go through out their whole lives without ever gaining an understanding of what really went on in the world. They go about their lives, they wake up, they go to work, they come home and they go to sleep, that is how most of the world operated. Unless you were ‘special’. When you’re special, the world takes on a different meaning to you. You gain an intimate understanding of true temptation. You know what goes bump in the night, and chances are you’ve either been hunted by it, or are hunting it. You know the allure of the dark, and the brightness of the light and all that prances, glides, slithers, and stalks in between. The key to surviving that kind of world is never underestimating anything or anyone. That was where Fai screwed up. 

“Do you know what I offer you, man-child?”

“Oh yeah, I’ve got a pretty good idea. And I really don’t want any part of it. I like my soul intact, never know when I’m actually gonna need it, and I like my limbs attached to my body as well. They are all part of the complete package.” Fai’s smirked bared his teeth to one side, he was pretty sure that he could feel his skin burning at the demon’s touch. 

“Then,” Fai was sure he picked up a hint of disappointment in the creature’s tone. “you die!” One thick tentacle of swamp waste blindsided the mage and shot him against the far wall. His speed slowed by the demon’s limbs and his own shimmering cilia. 

“Alright.” Fai sat up, his hand going to his jaw, making sure it was still in the right place before he stood up, the smallest of waver his steps. Fai wasn’t a small man by any means. Thin yes. Some people might even say lanky, but he was made up of lean muscle. He had grown up with the knowledge that he would have to be strong enough and fast enough to handle this world on his own, and while his face held a fey-like androgyny, the rest of his form was slender masculinity. “I’m not sure I like that option either.” Fai spit blood to the ground from where the blow split his cheek against his teeth. He wiped his mouth with the back his sleeve and looked more annoyed at the stain on his shirt than by the pain encompassing the right side of his face. He’d screwed around long enough, it was time to finish this.

He braced himself against the wall behind him and looked up through the half existing roof and into the moonlit sky, inhaled a deep breath, and leveled his gaze back at the demon who was readying another attack, which the creature presumed would be his final. Fai watched all the tendrils around the room shiver and pull away from the walls they connected to and slowly they coalesced back into the swamp beast. Fai lifted an arm into the air, his index and middle finger pressed firmly together then he swiped them down and over, maddeningly writing in the air, leaving a light trail that blazed blueish silver. Moonlight wavered and gathered to him, flowing around his body before wrapping itself in strings of light around the symbols the young mage etched into the air. 

“You die. NOW” The creature hissed as a twisting and slithering mass of appendages flew forward at the same time as the mage released the harnessed power. They clashed in midair, pressing both man and beast back. The blond hair flew around Fai’s face as he pressed his weight more into the power erupting from his hands, all the while the flow of sliver light from above never stopped and only continued to push out from the man’s hands. There was another push with gritted teeth as the whole area become illuminated in cold silver light, and finally with one last grunt of effort everything became blinding. 

A crack of thunder that sounded like it originated by Fai’s ears almost split his head in two, and it was followed by a sensation of flying back through air before he landed hard on something wet and unforgiving. The force of the fall left his body rolling like a rag doll until finally coming to a stop, face down against flattened grass. 

Around him it sounded like bits of hail were squelching to the earth, hissing softly like over-heated metal as they hit the tall blades of dew covered grass. “Nnmn.”

“Well that was stupid.” Said a soft nasally voice to his left. “Had you ever tried to do that before? Light magic against a demon?”

“No,” Fai groaned. “First time. Kind of neat.” He painfully turned to his side and looked up at the other person with an even glare. His eyes were sharp sapphires of agitation that were only dulled by weariness. 

“Kind of stupid.” The voice bit back. “You are untrained, unpracticed, and unaware.”

“And you were UNhelpful.” 

“I am an observer, not a fighter. You know this.” 

Fai rolled his eyes as he sat up and got to his feet, ignoring the snaps and pops his body made along the way. “If I’m dead there’ll be little left to observe.”

“If you die I’ll be sure to tell Karen that I observed it.”

“Would you really want to be the one to tell her that?” Fai smirked over at the little guy. He was maybe a little less than 4 feet tall with dark shaggy hair and bottle glasses that magnified his eyes to twice their already inhuman size. His body was very canine in form with hands that functioned similarly to humans, and he was covered with fur from head to toe. He was a Caarinolaas demon, or a demon of knowledge. Fai had heard somewhere that their specialty was science, but he hadn’t been paying any real attention at the time. Wings brown and white flattened against his back as he pushed those glasses up his long snout and his eyes were level as he weighed his thoughts against Fai’s statement.

“You are correct, that would not be a comfortable outcome.” He finally stated as he walked over to the mage, suddenly concerned for his well-being. “How are you fairing, Fai?” The forced sympathy in the creature’s nasal voice caused Fai to grin wickedly.

“Peachy, ‘cept for the probable internal bleeding, ruptured spleen, fractured ribs, broken jaw.” Fai turned his head to the side so Lem could get a good look at the welt growing on the side of the mage’s face. 

“Your jaw is not broken, I would not be so lucky.”

“Ouch.”

“But the mistress is partial to that face of yours, for whatever reason.” One of Lem’s clawed hands reached up to turn Fai’s face to the light, while the other pushed his glasses up his nose once more. “A trifle matter, boy. Can’t your bands do something?”

Fai looked down to his hands, against each finger was a black gold ring, some were simple with nothing more than an etching, while four held brilliant blue gems. Each appeared to hold their own opalescent light, swirling over through the deep sea of blue. His ears on either side of his head were adorned with similar gems, held in studs and a cuff that hooked along the shell’s curve. There were five more stones held there with two that had lost their shine, and one starting to crack.

“They don’t work that way.” Fai said as he closed his hands into tight fists.

“Hm, he left you such a strange gift.”

“Yeah…”

“Well,” Lem started, daring not to press the topic, turned his back to the young man. “We best be getting back. She’s waiting for you.” 

“Eh?” Fai quirked an eyebrow. “Already?” 

“No rest for the wicked.”

“So, where does that place me?”

“I haven’t decided that.” 

“Tired, I’d imagine.”

“I would imagine, also.” 

 

A short while later the two were before the ruins of the Old Sheldon Church located somewhere in South Carolina. Fai shivered as he walked the grounds, weaving his body between pillars and under the burned brick archways. Power buzzed through the air, sending tingles through his flesh, which prickled up with sensation. It was one of the few places in American history that had a sense of old world mysticism. While far more muted in strength than sites such as Stonehenge, there was a sense in this place, a distinct awareness in the land. It was something that welcomed and pushed at Fai all at the same time. 

Lem bounded to the front of the church, falling forward on his hands he headed straight into the burned out remains, the grass padding his footfalls as he came to settle down next to a figure of a woman. Fai’s eyes wandered from the demon canine and to the female form, and he smiled in admiration. The woman before him was an absolute vision of femininity. She was a walking talking 1920’s centerfold. Each step caused a sway of her hips, as each breath pushed prominent breasts over the edge of a black and red laced corset. A shear robe fell from her shoulders and dusted the ground at her ankles. High heels, which should have sunk into the wet grass, added balance and definition to perfectly shaped legs, that left the mind to wonder exactly where they stopped after hiding under the fabric of a black skirt. 

“Hello, Karen.” Fai spoke softly as he smirked. “Dressed for work or pleasure?”

“Isn’t it all the same?” Pouty red lips curled into a smile.

“Depends on which line you chose to follow.” 

“True.” Karen started to walk forward and as she did, motes of flame appeared along the isle, igniting her path an orange glow. Karen was a fire mage. One of the best Fai had ever met, and he’d always felt that if you were going to be stuck with just one element fire would be best. Very little survives flame once it got hot enough, but Fai wasn’t about to wish for a trade. He was lucky. When it came to the grab bag of magical powers, Fai got them all. A jack of all trades with the potential to master them all. His was a natural gift, he didn’t owe it to anyone, and he didn’t have to play by any rules of balance. Fai’s power came from him, and even at the age of 22 he was considered formidable, with plenty of room to grow. The spells he lacked, he was able to adapt for in his own unique way. All except for healing. That had been his brother’s talent. 

“Oh, you poor boy.” Fai blinked and looked up to meet dark brown eyes that were leveled to his own, with the aid of her heels, and a gentle hand, which was far too warm given the chill in the air, came to rest on the side of his face. “To mark up such a perfect face.” She gently titled his head to the light. “You had so much trouble with an American spawn?”

“It was sentient, Mistress.” Came Lem’s nasal voice.

“Oh?”

“Yes, it spoke and knew of the mage’s gift, even tried mental manipulation.”

“Interesting.” Karen pulled her hand back to hold her chin. Fai gave her a bemused smile as he watched the gears tick behind eyes. She may dress the way she did, but it was all part of the manipulation. Draw the attention elsewhere so you never see what’s really going on. Karen Katsumi was the real black widow. Fai had known her long enough, and had seen countless men, spirits, and demons a like fall before her in an all manner of ways. Willpower was something she was created to break. Fai was no fool, he was certain if he hadn’t been geared toward other inclinations he would have joined the legion of her puppets long ago.

“He was strong too.” Fai continued where Lem left off. 

“I can see that. It’s been awhile since you’ve returned to me half bruised. I’m surprised you’re even standing.”

“No need to worry.” Fai smiled kindly. “If I couldn’t take that much abuse, how could I have ever been brought into your service?” He bowed while placing his arm ceremoniously below his chest, and Karen treated him with a pleased smile.

“Yes, The Guard is grateful to your service.” 

“And I imagine that is why I’m here tonight?” Fai straightened his back.

“Unfortunately, yes. I’ll need you to go undercover, but I will contact you more on that later. For now I need you to call in your resources.” Fai groaned. 

“Really?”

“Yes. I need information from them, and they will not speak to me.”

“You blew up their home last time!”

“I’m aware that there were transgressions on both sides.”

Fai sighed in agitation. “What do you need?”

“The name of a new drug that’s been flooding the inner circles. It has no effect on a human who takes it, that we know of, but if a demon is in possession of that human…” 

“Amplification.” Fai nodded his head. 

“Yes, in theory. The case you had tonight is not the first I’ve seen in the past several weeks. Bodies have been falling from the sky, people seen lifting impossible weights only to be crushed by them, madness striking down perfectly sane people in the matter of minutes. I can’t completely connect it yet, but that’s why I need you to speak to him.”

“And why do you think he would know anything?” Fai couldn’t help the distaste that snarled his lip up. 

“He’s an incubus, you would be surprised what secrets spill forth while the body is promised pleasure. Lips hardly stay sealed in the heat of the moment.” As she spoke, Karen slid one hand up Fai’s chest, and curled her fingers up around the back of his neck. Her manicured nails gently scratching his skin. “You could try it sometime.”

Fai gave her a flat stare. “You know better.” But he smiled and bent down so that his lips were barely against hers. “These lips are always sealed.”

“That’s not entirely true, I’m just not the type they wish to speak to.” There was a hint of playful disappointment in her voice.

“Even then.” Fai lifted his hand and stroked the edge of Karen’s jaw. 

“If that ever changes. You know how to contact me.” 

Fai gently, and very chastely, placed a kiss to her cheek, under her eye. “Unlikely.”

“You’re the worst.” She whispered.

“I know.” He pulled away from her arms and started to walk out of the church before he stopped. “Do me a favor this time. No observers.”

“You know the rules and why they are in place.”

“I’m not my brother.” 

“I know,” There was a hint of sadness in the woman’s voice that made even Fai’s heart tighten.

“I’m not asking, ‘ever’. I’m merely asking for this one time. I won’t need him. Besides, do you really want to send Lem into lion’s den?” 

Lem let out a pitched whine behind them to accent Fai’s point. 

“Very well, but you’ll report to me as soon as you are able.” 

“Agreed.”

 

Fai dreamed. It was, as always, broken flashes, and shadowed faces. He was surrounded by cherry blossoms as they mixed with feather sized flakes of the purest snow Fai had ever seen. Around him figures danced, all of them black formless manikins, but each one gave an impression of joy, sadness, terror, pain, happiness, and love. Flying cars, trains, beasts wrought from hell fire, and creatures of fantasy all moved about and were continually out of his reach. Every time he tried to focus on one thing for too long it would be replaced. His head spun, his eyes weary and frustrated until something reached out and gripped his shoulder. 

“It’s all right. I’m here.” Fai lifted his hand to the one that touched him but there was nothing there, just a voice, a voice that so clear and yet distorted as if it were speaking through layers of cloth.

“Sir,” Came another voice. “Sir?” The urgency of the tone forced Fai’s eyes to open, and he found himself looking into the cute heart-shaped face of a young flight attendant. Her clear blue eyes were filled with concern and it took Fai a moment to realize she had been offering him a towel. “Are you okay, sir?” Her voice was soft and accented with French in a way that seemed designed to be pleasant rather than over baring. 

“I’m okay, thank you.” Fai replied, his smile gentle, but the woman urged again for the towel and discreetly nodded to the side of his face. “Eh?” That was when had felt it, hot tears running unchecked down the side of his face. “Oh,” He took the towel, and she stayed where she was, hiding him from the isle as he washed his face before he handed the cloth back to her. “Thank you.”

“No problem.” And with nothing more than a smile the attendant left, and Fai sunk his head back against the pillow, his head turning to stare out his window, hissing lightly as he pressed too hard against the week-old bruise on his cheek. Damn thing was taking its precious time to heal. 

The mage sighed as his eyes flickered over the ground. The land was dark with just little shimmers of golden light. He raised his hand to pick at the fringed plastic molding as he tried to calm his head, and his chest. It had been the same dream he’d had since he was a child. People, places, figures he didn’t know, and a sadness that would linger well into his waking hours. His brain trying to latch on to the memory of a voice and a touch, but he never was able to make contact. Like trying to catch water with a fork. 

When he felt the plane begin its initial decent Fai readjusted in his chair, the first class seats, despite all their comforts, were still not able to prevent his body from going numb the waist down. Ten hours sitting still is hard on anyone, particularly someone like him with the inability to sit still for more than five minutes without a foot or leg wiggling. So when the plane hit the tarmac and swung up to his gate he was the first one up and out. Not only did he want to get his legs to move, he wanted this whole process over with as quickly as possible. He really hated incubi.

 

Fai stepped into the Shari Vari night club, his eyes blinking several times as they adjusted to the dim lighting of the popular Italian destination. This club was just as much a home to the locals as it was to the international crowd. The décor had been set it up to give the whole club an ancient world feel, and appear as though it was nothing but a restored Roman insula. Lights softened the stone walls, and provided each archway with a golden warmth. Delicately carved stone made up the bar with mortar lion heads jutting out from each corner. Behind it was a lighted mirror that fit to purpose the ability to see the labels on the all alcohol shelved in front of it. Lights hung from rafters that were drilled and anchored into the refurbished ceiling and were timed to move with the beat of the music. In a matter of hours this would be a hotbed of youth, music, and the birth place of drunken, carnal desires. Fai planned to be miles away by then.

“Oh, to what do I owe the pleasure?” A deep voice molested Fai’s ear. 

“Here on business, Oran.” The mage didn’t turn to face the other man, instead he closed his eyes to steel himself for just a moment. Incubi didn’t have a shape or a form of their own. They lived their lives through impressions. They could read into their victim’s subconscious and become anything their victim desired. Whether they knew it or not, and the gender rarely mattered. The worst part of it all, is that they did it as easily as it is to breathe.

“Pity, I do miss having you around. You were always like a little spot of sunshine.” Fai felt lips at his ear. Hot, sweet breath blowing over his flesh even as strong fingers curled over his shoulders. “on a cold winter’s day.” It finished. “Come, let’s find some place private so we can talk.”

“You don’t waste time do you?” Fai whispered as he stepped out of the man’s hands, finally looking over the demon. Oranlynx was nothing like your typical Incubus. He didn’t like to sneak in at night and steal the dreams of women and men. He preferred to have his meals delivered, willing, and warm, which is how he had come to be in the night club circuit. He has a chain of successful establishments and each one was a steady stream of money and food that was dropped off nightly at the demons’ door.

“No, time, like money is all in abundance as long you know what’s a waste and what’s not,” His arm slipped gently around Fai’s thin waist and guided him to move with him “and you are never a waste of time.” 

Fai went silent and followed the demon up a flight of stairs, and then another, before he was brought through a set of large double doors to a cavernous room. The room was garish, to put it mildly. The floor was black marble with red inlay swirling inside. Fai had been in this room several times in his more naïve days, and it still disturbed him every time. The whole room was designed to place one concept into the person’s head. On the walls hung various renaissance style paintings, with humans, beasts, demons, and anything else in various carnal acts. Some leaving Fai to think that the Kama sutra could learn a few things from these walls.

“Have a seat.” A hand waved down to an overly cushioned leather couch, and as Fai sat he couldn’t help the way his eyes traversed the line of Oran’s body, from his broad shoulders, to well-muscled arms, and they continued to follow his form to his waist. That was when Oran had turned back around from his decanter of scotch. The action forced Fai’s eyes up and to that unnaturally handsome face. Styled black hair was pushed to one side with a few locks following over his eyes. His jaw was strong and well defined, and everything else Fai found attractive about a man. Knowing it wasn’t real didn’t help the body’s natural reaction to lust. It did however, make him snarl up his lips. Humans were often weak to the affront as they were barely more than carnal creatures themselves, and if the feeding was done at a slow pace, a little here, a little there, their life force can replenish before they even realize something had been taken away. However, it was rare of these creatures to care much past their feeding. 

Oran, to his credit, was different. He enjoyed a life of relaxation and ease. He was not use to unwilling participants in his game and he rarely fed off the same body twice. He would rather have a life of ease than be under suspicion and nothing raised suspicion like a trail of dead clubbers.

“I need your help.”

“Naturally, why else would you walk into my club after years of obvious avoidance?” Oran purred as he sat down in one of the armchairs, even has he settled in, his body kept its languid poise. The scotch in his class never troubled by the movement.

“I had never felt the need to bother you.”

“Until now.”

“Until now.” Fai repeated with a sigh. “Karen sent me here.” For a moment Fai regretted saying anything, the atmosphere became dark and dangerous. 

“I owe that woman nothing.” Oran snarled, his voice coming out like sharpened glass before he cleared his throat and the easy timber returned. “How may I use my services to assist you?” 

Oran set a cigarette to his mouth and as he lit it Fai felt his nostrils flare against the fresh burn of new paper and tobacco. The demon smirked, sensing an unspoken desire, and he was at the young mage’s side in an instant, another cigarette pressed with a feather light touch to his lips, his broad body bending over Fai’s sleeker form, giving him no choice but to look up at his looming frame. Oran twisted his wrist in a mockery of a magicians trick and produced a lighter, it was classic zippo, bronze in color and engraved with Roman numerals. “My apologizes for not asking my guest first, but would it interest you?” 

Fai parted his lips and took the gift gently between them, all too aware of the eyes that watched his every move. A flash of golden light distorted his senses, but only briefly before the end of the cigarette lit up with a cherry red glow and he took that first sweet breath. He felt its effects almost instantly as he relaxed back, tension leaving his shoulders with a visible slump.

Smoking was a bad habit, anyone would say that. Tobacco, however had the ability to enhance magic as it eased the mind. Fai never bothered to figure out why it worked beyond the physical explanation that due to the nicotine’s effects on the body it actually provides for clearer thought. He’d been around it all his life, and it was rare to see a powerful practitioner of the mystical arts to be without some sort of narcotic vise. Fai believed that in most cased it kept the person sane.

“So, now that the pleasantry is out of the way, I ask you once again, how may I help you?”

“I need information about something thats flooding in to our particular circles of influence.” 

“I see.” Fai watched as Oran’s body stiffened in a way that felt all too human for the mage’s liking.

“It’s a drug, it something that host humans have been influenced to take in order to make their parasitic demons stronger.” 

“Ah, yes. I am aware of this.” Oran turned his body and sat down on the arm of Fai’s chair, leaning slightly over to him, which forced the mage back against the other arm and pushing his back into a subtle arch. “I am, however, unable to help you. That kind of information is,” He paused for a pregnant second. “tricky.”

“All I need is a name.” Fai said as he took another long drag, before flicking the ash into the tray beside him, acting like he was not bothered by their proximity.

“Names have power. I don’t need to tell you that.” A sinuous smile curled Oran’s thin lips. “I can’t just freely give it to you. Despite our history, I do have a reputation to protect. Perhaps,” He purred out, his hand reaching down to Fai’s neck allowing a finger to trace up to his jaw. “An exchange.”

Fai’s lips parted slightly and a tremble from the pleasure demon’s touch sent an ache through his body, a raw need that colored his cheeks and telegraphed Oran’s influence over him. 

“An exchange?” Fai whispered, feeling more than seeing the other man lean in.

“I’ll give you what you want, you’ll give me what I want. Maybe a little more, for old times’ sake.” But then his hand paused on the fading welt against Fai’s hair line. “Oh dear.” His thumb caressed it. “That must of have hurt. I promise I would never do such a thing to such a face.” Feeling no resistance, Oran leaned in to close the distance before he was greeted by a still burning cherry just inches from his eye. 

“No.” Fai’s eyes had closed and when they opened again they were hard and cold like winter ice. His reaction seemed to startle and please the demon at the same time, for he backed away, but the smile never left his lips.

“No?”

“No.” Fai stared up at him, features level. “I will collect on the debt that was already owed to my brother.”

“A blood oath like that cannot be transferred.” Oran shook his head.

“Twins. We share the blood.”

“He is dead.” In an instant Fai was at his feet, his lithe frame slipping around the other with an arm curled tightly around his neck to pull that larger body down backwards so that his ear was next Fai’s lips. A knee pressed into the back of the demons legs to keep him motionless. 

“I know.” Fai hissed darkly as a silver blade slowly appeared from his sleeve and into his hand. The steel was cold and shimmered with frost even in the warmth of the room. “And don’t think for a second that I have forgotten why he is dead.” He pressed the blade tighter to the creature’s neck, watching with pleased bemusements as the flesh smoked and sizzled.

“Holy water?” Oran snarled. “You would go so far?”

“Around you? Yes. Now tell me, and I will absolve you of any debt owed my family. Don’t tell me, and I’ll absolve everyone of any debt they owe you.” 

“Ambrolysium.” Oran sighed out and Fai slowly let him slip out of his arms to straighten his back. He gave the demon a moment to compose himself and to pick up his pride. “Rosa is the street name.”

“Where do people get it.”

“That I don’t know.” If Fai didn’t know better he’d swear the man was pouting. “I have no need for it, so I never inquired any further than what I hear in whispers.” As he spoke Fai watched the creature shift and the image glimmered and waned, becoming smaller and shorter until there was no longer a man before him, but a beautiful woman with blonde hair and bright grey violet eyes. It wasn’t the first time he’d watched an incubus turn into a succubus, but it was disturbing all the same.

“Now.” She coughed, her voice pitching up demurely. “Take your leave, I’ve given you what I can, and I hope, for your sake I will not see you here again. Consider this a gift for the lasting fondness I had for you brother.”

“Likewise.” Fai placed the dagger back into his sleeve. “and it’s appreciated.”

Fai closed the giant double doors behind him and made his way back down to the club, where the bar tender was finishing setting up for the evening. The man gave Fai a knowing look, probably assuming he was his boss’s early pregame catch and Fai felt no reason to correct him as he walked over, leaned against the bar and ordered a shot of the most expensive liquor he could see on the shelf.

“Put it on Oran’s tab.” He winked back at the man before he took a shot, and tapped the table twice for a refill which the barkeep happily obliged. He was kind of cute now that Fai thought about it. Not really his type but not bad on his eyes either, and he felt that earlier tingle tease at the end of his nerves before he sighed an ordered another, his head bowed as he lit up a cigarette. He really hated sex demons. Their effects often lingered until relieved, like venom waiting to be sucked out of a wound.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! We are doing things a little differently this time around and hope you all enjoy the first chapter of our new story "Half-Life" Each chapter is going to be named for a reference song. This song is part tone for the chapter, part ... we just like it :) 
> 
> Reference Song: 
> 
>  
> 
> [ Blood on My Name - The Brothers Bright](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xz5Mx3a8kRw)
> 
>  
> 
> Questions, comments, and positive criticisms are always welcome!


	2. Rusty Halo

All movement stopped. The room, which had been filled with shouts and the clangs of metal only seconds before, was now completely silent. Men who should have been breathing heavily after minutes of exertion now held their breath. Men with bruised knuckles and bashed faces held in their grunts of pain. They all stood, motionless, their eyes locked on a tall figure off to the side of the large room that housed what was once a grand melee but was now more akin to a gorgon’s lair.

That man ran his thumb over his own lip, looking at the red that stained his finger. His eyes narrowed, and he looked from the blood to a man standing before him. There was a whisper of a gasp from another part of the room, but the man paid it no mind as he kept his eyes on the one staring up at him. The one who, just a minute before, swung his fist and hit him right in the mouth. The one who had just a little bit of blood on his knuckles from that contact. 

Anger welled inside him, and he spit in the offender’s face. Blood and saliva dripping down paling skin. The more the man stared down at the other, the more color seemed to leave his face. The unspoken rule had been broken. The price for touching the man known as the Blood Dragon was death, and that price was about to be paid.

Kurogane reached out with one hand and grabbed the other man by his neck, squeezing enough to make him gargle and choke as he lifted him off the ground, his toes just barely able to scrape the floor. Like this, there was no pleading, even as hot tears ran down the man’s face and mixed with the blood and spit. 

Other men began to move then. Those who fought alongside this man, who was now barely clinging to life, dropped pipes, chains, and whatever else in their hands as they turned and left, easily abandoning one of their own. They knew that once Kurogane tasted his first kill, a second, a third, maybe even ten more were sure to follow. 

There was a snap, and Kurogane dropped the lifeless body to the floor, stepping over it and walking towards the remaining men. They stood straight, despite potentially broken limbs and bleeding faces, and they bowed as he neared. 

“Clean this up.” He murmured as he passed the bowing men, walking to the door the other gang had scrambled out of moments before. He stopped and crouched, picking up a wallet that must have fallen out of one of those men’s pockets. He opened it and clicked his tongue, tossing the wallet back to one of the men. “Deliver him with this idiot’s wallet.”

“Yes, sir!” 

He turned back towards the door and pushed it open, putting his sunglasses on as he stepped through the doorway. He walked towards the black car waiting for him, nodding to the older gentleman who stood outside and opened the door as he neared it. Without a word, he slid inside, sank back into the seat, and turned his head to look out the window.

The ride was silent for a relatively long time, but not long enough. The older man clucked his tongue as the car approached the gates of the compound. “How many this time, Young Boss? I’m going to have to report to your father before he sees you.” 

“Just the one, Endo.” Kurogane shook his head and turned his attention from the window to the man’s reflection in the rearview. “Besides, it’s not like he’s going to want to see me over something as petty as that. He’s shrugged off worse. He’ll just confine me to the house for a week or two until it blows over.”

“Well, this time he sent me specifically to collect you because he wants to speak with you.” Endo turned to face him from the front seat once he parked the car. 

“And I’m sure he didn’t say anything to you about why he wants to see me.”

“Of course not. However he may have told me to fetch you immediately or I will regret it.”

Kurogane couldn’t help the chuckle that escaped at that. “And I’m sure you rolled your eyes and told him he was full of it, old man.” He opened the door and slid out of the car, and while he normally would have just walked inside, he took the time to wait for Endo to stand by his side. “But he really told you nothing?”

“Nothing.”

He frowned, removing his sunglasses and shoving his hands into his pockets as he walked towards the house. He paused long enough for the older man to open the door, but he passed through before it was open all the way. 

“Welcome back, Young Boss!” Several voices chorused. He just walked past those people, heading straight for his father’s office.

“Let me go in there first.” Endo was right on his tail, and if it had been anyone else, Kurogane would have shoved him back and told him to stay out of it, but Endo was different. Endo was the only one aside from his father who had been patient with him when he was a petulant child. Of course, Endo would probably say Kurogane was still a petulant child, but any twenty-eight year old would be to a sixty or seventy-something year old man. In twenty years, Kurogane had never actually worked out just how old Endo was. He was just old and seemingly immortal. 

“Fine, though I don’t see the point.” He stopped and allowed Endo to step in before him, and when the other man shut the door in his face, he grumbled and waited there for what felt like hours until the door opened again.

“Kurogane.” His father was sitting at his desk, his arms on the surface, his hands folded in front of him. There was a slight frown on his lips, and his brows creased with what could have been anger, though he had never known his father to be an angry person. At least not towards him. “Endo told me you took another one?”

Kurogane glanced over to Endo, and the other man simply shrugged before looking away from him. He sighed and looked back at his father. “It’s not like I went in there with the intention of snapping some idiot’s neck.” 

“Well, maybe it’s just as well. It gives me an excuse to make you do something you otherwise wouldn’t want to do to. I have to go somewhere, and instead of hiding you here after you stain your hands, now I won’t have to worry because I can make you come with me. ” His father watched him as if gauging his reaction, and he was smiling that kind of smile he tended to do when he knew he had someone at his mercy. It wasn’t necessarily malicious, but it wasn’t a kind smile either.

Kurogane groaned. Being on house arrest was one thing, and he had gotten used to it, since he could find something to do. It wasn’t so much as a punishment as it was protection for anyone else who might try something. There were only rare instances when he was punished for his indiscretions, and those had become much rarer now that the other groups knew what kind of person Kurogane was. He was like a sleeping bear. As long as no one woke him, no one got hurt. When the other bosses sent men to get revenge for those lost, they only lost more. Now they were more likely to get apology gifts than challenges, and part of him knew it was good for his father and the stability of their own family. 

“Where? Why? And why do I have the feeling I’d rather you punish me than whatever it is?”

His father actually chuckled. “Consider it a vacation. There isn’t much I need you to do, but I would feel much better, and much safer, if you came with your brother and me.”

“That doesn’t actually answer any of my questions, pops.”

“Italy.”

“Why?”

“For your bother.”

“So why?” Kurogane muttered. It was no secret that he didn’t get along with his brother; they had never really gotten along since he came here twenty years ago. It had only gotten worse when Kurogane was named heir, even though he was adopted. So he saw no reason to travel anywhere for his brother, not when he was already doing almost everything for him in the first place.

“That’s not necessarily important right now.” His father shrugged. “You can’t exactly say no to me anyway. Go pack. We’re leaving first thing in the morning.”

Kurogane frowned and shook his head. His father was right. Even though he really wanted to, he couldn’t say no. “You’re enjoying this too much, aren’t you?”

“Of course I am. I was barely able to get you to go to America a few years ago for business. You hardly ever even leave our district. When was the last time you went down to Kyoto or up to Hokkaido? You didn’t even want to go on your school trips.” His father smiled at him. “So I’m thoroughly enjoying your discomfort, knowing you can’t deny me and that you know absolutely no Italian.”

“So you want to make me do something for that idiot’s sake and you want to see me suffer while doing it?” Kurogane shook his head again. “You’re becoming more messed up in your old age.” He turned towards the door. 

“I just want my cute son to take advantage of the opportunities I offer him as a doting and loving father.” 

“You’re so full of shit.” He grunted at the older man before he left the room. There was a part of him that wanted to leave the house and hide for a few days, and he could probably get away with it too. But he also knew if he did that, his father would send some of the boys after him, and if they returned without him, they’d be punished for something that wasn’t their fault.

So he begrudgingly went into his room, only to find his suitcase already packed and a box reading “Learn Italian!” sitting on top of it. He muttered a bit under his breath. Of course that whole conversation was just a show. Endo would probably be in here bright and early to drag him out to the airport before the sun even rose.

 

Lately, Kurogane had been having dreams whenever he fell into a deep enough sleep. Sometimes they were like silent movies where the film had been distorted with time, and faces were unrecognizable. Sometimes they were snippets of images and splashes of color with voices he could hear but not quite make out. And sometimes, like this time, it was a combination of both.

He heard the voice before he say the source of it. The light sing-songy way it echoed through his ears, though it was nothing he remembered hearing before. A laugh. Anger welling inside of him, but not true anger. A swipe at someone who half-ran, half danced in front of him, light hair and skin seeming to reflect the sun enough to keep that face completely in shadows. 

And then there was a sudden shake, and his eyes snapped open. He sat up a little bit and ran his hand over his face. That’s right. He was on this stupid plane, going on this stupid trip, presumably so his spoiled brother could have something or other than he still wasn’t privy to. 

But the thought ruined his mood, and his anger would only prevent any further attempt to sleep, so he sneered and looked out the window, putting his earbuds in and listening to voices drone on between Japanese and Italian, though it wasn’t as if he cared enough to absorb any of it before they landed.

Nor did he care enough to actually hang around the others once they were checked into their hotel. Some swanky place in a relatively good location. He knew his father felt guilty for making him come, since he booked him a junior suite. It was likely that the others were all sharing a room, or at least in smaller rooms than this one. And yet it was almost too nice. And he would be too bored if he avoided everyone and stayed in the room. So the most obvious and completely illogical choice was to take the car and just drive around a city he didn’t know where everyone spoke a language he couldn’t speak.

And that’s just what he would have done if he wasn’t stopped almost immediately upon leaving the elevator into the lobby. 

"Oi, Aniki! How could you not call me when you landed?" That annoying voice came from Mantarou Sumiyoshi, first born biological son to the boss, and the ever present thorn in Kurogane's side.

Kurogane's muscles tensed, but his demeanor remained calm. "I wasn't aware that you wanted me to. So does it matter?" 

"How could I not?" He looked right to left as he crossed the lobby of the hotel and walked to where he stopped Kurogane at the doors. "The boys lemme know that you took care of that problem for me back home." He clapped one hand on his shoulder. "So Pops brought you here to keep an eye on me. Haha pretty rich, isn't it?"

"He brought me here to keep an eye on me because of how I took care of that problem." Kurogane looked at him. He didn't exactly mind when Mantarou was like this. But this could change on a dime, and so while he let himself relax a little, he still kept his guard up. "But no one will tell me why the hell we're here in the first place. What could you want so badly that you need to come to Italy for it?"

"Oh! No one's told you?" Dark brown eyes blinked several times in honest disbelief. Mantarou wasn't bad looking, as men go. He was well built, but thinner than Kurogane due to the lack of dedication to anything more physical than what he could get out of a sexual partner. There was an air of danger about him that attracted all different types of people to him, and often it was Kurogane that was in charge of the fallout. Somehow this little excursion didn't feel like it was going to be much different.

"I found Christ!" The shorter man whispered as he held up a gaudy golden crucifix from around his neck. 

"And this is why no one told me." Kurogane stared at his brother as a frown crossed his face. "I wouldn't have come if it was because you suddenly became religious." No wonder his father kept it mum. He would have just laughed it off and walked away, but he got conned into whatever this was. Now he really wanted to just grab the car and go.

"Oi! I'm serious! Pops had some priest from Tokyo come in, but it doesn't feel real to me." Mantarou was always easily excitable, and everything he got had to be authentic. "It ain't just the Christ stuff though. I mean that's all good too, but some of the other things are interesting. The battles, and wars and all that." Well there was the blood lust in his brother that Kurogane knew very well. "Those guys in Tokyo don't know anything about that stuff. So I'm gonna get me a real priest."

"And you think you can just buy one?" Kurogane shook his head. "Mantarou, this is exorbitant even for you. It's one thing to start fights and make father send me to clean them up. Or for you to pull this paying people to do whatever you want thing with idiots back home, but to fly all the way out here to try and buy a priest? People aren't toys you can just purchase and drag home with you."

Mantarou's eyes narrowed considerably, and the hand on Kurogane's shoulder tightened. "See that's where you're always wrong. Money has this amazing ability to give you anything you want. It can buy cars, houses, planes, and easiest thing to purchase? People. Pops has already donated a lot of money to the church here, and there are discussions to provide me with a tutor. They get to gain a new soul, and build on a new addition. While I just take home one of their number. Bought and traded. Nothing wrong with that Aniki. People are merchandise. This one is just more valuable."

Kurogane's eyes narrowed at the tightened grip on his shoulder, and he lifted his hand to rest on his brother’s, applying just enough pressure so that Mantarou would be reminded just which one of them would win in a fight without even breaking a sweat. "And you know how I feel about it. And so you know that hiding that from me to get me to come here would only piss me off." He frowned. "It's too much money, and you're taking advantage of father's weak spot for you. So you damn well better have a good way to earn some of that money back, and it better be in a way that I don't have to clean up after you."

"Haha! Don't worry." Mantarou lifted his hand from his brother's shoulder and smiled. "I'm already working on that. You and Pops will be proud." As he backed away he pulled on the collar of his suit to straighten it out. "I promise."

He watched his brother back up a bit and he shook his head. "As long as it's not like the last big idea you had."

"Last big idea?" Mantarou's face crunched up in thought for a second before recollection showed in his eyes. "That would have worked out just fine, but his daughter was a looker." And then the grin became vulpine. "So was his son."

"Yeah yeah. And I had a lot of cleaning up to do afterwards. A lot. More than usual. And it wasn't entirely fun for me. You should do well to remember that I can't always help you in those regards." Kurogane shook his head and started to walk away from him and towards the lobby doors. 

"Haha! Didn't hear you complain when he left your bedroom." After that Mantarou turned on his heels and skidded out of the room as if running from any possible thrown objects.

Kurogane gritted his teeth a little. That little shit. He stormed out of the hotel and hopped into his rental, clutching the steering wheel to calm himself from the slight bit of rage that flared up at the mention of just what he had to do to keep his stupid brother from causing more problems than he usually did. But at least now with that out of the way, and with a few deep breaths, he could do what he originally left his room to do: drive around.

And he was regretting it, now that he was completely lost and unsure how to get back to his hotel. But at least he found an area with what looked like some sort of combination of exhibitionist club and tourist trap. This might be the perfect place to find someone who point him in the right direction of his hotel. Or, at the very least, he could get a drink before getting even more lost.

Kurogane pushed open the door to the club, his eyes narrowing at the garish decor, but it was dark enough to serve its purpose, and all he wanted here was a drink. At least that was until he saw the blond at the bar. Slender. Attractive. Tight clothes, but not so tight as to be tacky. Just tight enough to get a thought started in his head. But he didn’t want to make himself obvious, so he walked over to the bar and took the stool next to the other man, looking at the bar tender as if he hadn’t noticed anyone else sitting there, and he ordered a beer in the best awkward Italian he could.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reference Song: 
> 
>  
> 
> [The Script - Rusty Halo](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jd6N-VjdQZQ)
> 
>  
> 
> Questions, comments, and positive criticisms are always welcome!


	3. How to be a Heartbreaker

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait. School and work got in the way, but now that I'm an official college grad and school is wrapping up for my partner in crime, these chapters should be coming out a bit faster.
> 
> But to thank you for sticking it out, keep your eyes peeled for another chapter(of sorts) really soon.

There are certain things that happen to the human when it finds something physically appealing. These the left over instincts owed to the fur-covered ancestors of the ancient plains. Ears perk up and try to take more auditory information, forgetting their limited range of motion. Blood starts to move, causing the eyes to dilate in order to bring in more light, color and detail. The sense of smell enhances to even the tiniest degree and hunts for chemical compatibility. Skin tingles and becomes sensitive to the wandering eye of a potential mate or predator, the two being synonymous given the context.

Thanks to the prolonged influence of his last encounter, Fai’s body had been left to suffer in such a state. The need was primal, and despite the harmless flirting with the bartender for the sake of a free drink, he knew the logical mind would eventually win.  That was until ‘he’ walked in.

Fai felt his presence before seeing him. There was an air about him that warned others against approach, but that only allured Fai more. It was dark, foreboding, and alarmingly dangerous. Intrigued would only be putting the mage’s attraction mildly.

When his eyes finally caught up to his mind, he took in the form of an Asian man. Bigger than most he’d seen. Well-built and muscled, his shirt left little to the imagination as his biceps flexed just to bend up and rest on the bar. Fai smiled as he heard the man attempt to order a beer, fumbling with the Italian syllables like man with hot stone.

“Excuse me?” The bartender cocked his head and gave the Asian man an apologetic frown.

“Sapporo.” Fai scooted next to the larger man and pointed for the bartender who looked at the blond thankfully before he turned to fetch it. Fai lifted his eyes to the Asian’s face, he was certainly handsome and Fai’s primal urges were doing back flips in his stomach 

“A long way from home?” Fai’s voice came out lightly accented but in flawless Japanese.

Kurogane felt the air shift when that body next to him leaned closer, intervening on his behalf. He was thankful, in that he didn't have to try to bumble out the phrase again, and of course slightly mortified that the first time he tried to speak, it came out as a garbled, foreign mess. His next thought would have been English, of course, but then that accented voice sang in his ears, and he turned his head just enough to see the owner of said voice.

"Thank you." He said quietly in his own language, relieved not to have to fumble with another, and simply nodding in response to that question before he looked back at the bartender and slid over the money when that beer was placed in front of him. He turned his gaze back to the person at his side, eyes moving as if to memorize the face of the one who had already caught his eye just on his looks, and who was now even more impressive. "And thank you for not assuming I was some generic Asian and speaking to me really slowly. Impressive, that you could tell I'm Japanese." He smirked. "Most people assume I'm from South Korea."

Fai slipped his hand across the counter and over the money that was just set down and nodded to the young bartender. It was a code that the man seemed to understand as he stepped away, leaving the cash under Fai's fingers to be picked up. "Just a lucky guess."

Kurogane arched a brow. "Is that so?" The silent exchange between the other man and the bartender didn't go unnoticed, but all he did was frown slightly before drinking his beer. "That's significantly less impressive, then, if you relied on luck."

"I don't know about that." Fai sipped at his current drink, turning his back to the bar and leaning his elbows back against the polished stone railing. "Luck can get you a fair amount of things. One could say that the way you tapped your tongue to say 'birra' was a pretty good clue." The blond smirked over the rim of his glass before taking another drink.

"See, now that's more impressive. Though I hope you didn't do that..." He nodded to the money still in the other man's hand. "Simply because you pitied me for my bad Italian."

"Nah, I did it because I might need cab fare." Fai grinned as he placed the money in his back pocket, amusement sparkling in his eyes.

Kurogane looked at him, and for a moment, his eyes narrowed slightly, but then he shrugged. "I doubt that little will get you very far."

"A little can go a long way. We'll see where this gets me."

"I see." He looked at the blond again. "Well, thank you for your help with this."

"You're welcome." Fai stood up and turned around and set his drink down before extending his hand. "Fai." 

Kurogane blinked at the sudden formality of the introduction, and he was a bit thrown off since this man had been so bold before as to just take his money. He turned enough to take the man's hand to shake it, though Western greetings weren't exactly his thing. "Kurogane."

Fai’s hand was practically hidden from view as Kuorgane took it with in his own. His hand was large and shockingly warm.  Roughly calloused fingers barely graced over the soft pads of his palm and shot tingles to his flesh.  The sensation was disconcerting almost to the point where he forgot to let go. Instead he pulled himself closer to the man in a motion that appeared to be more of a stumble than anything else.

"Oh, well, Kurogane. It's nice to meet you." He said as he looked up.

Kurogane was about to let go of Fai's hand when the other man seemed to half stumble closer to him. "Drink a bit too much?" He smirked, but in the back of his head there was this little voice telling him not to let this one go. If he was truly drunk, then leaving him to be swooped up by some other man or woman was not exactly something Kurogane wanted to do. Not after the slight jolt he felt when their hands touched. A jolt that caused him to feel things he only vaguely recognized. It was the reason why he still held onto that smaller hand.

"Maybe, or maybe not enough." That smile came back to his lips as Fai gently pulled his hand from his. "It's about to get pretty loud in here. Do you want to find a booth to sit down in for a bit?" 

“Sure." That worked out better for him anyway. Kurogane could only tolerate these kinds of places for so long, since his family ran a few of these back home. He stood and grabbed his beer, looking at Fai and nodding. "Lead on."

 With a nod the young mage lead the man through a maze of chairs and up a winding set of staircases. The area was set into the original part of the structure with brick and motor archways sitting juxtaposed against black plush leather seats. The booths were small, designed to allow people to sit in close, get to know each other, or discuss particular propositions that had to be done away from general earshot.  Fai's slender form slid easily into one of them, just as a waitress laid down a napkin and fresh drink in front of him, doing the same for Kurogane as he sat down. 

Kurogane looked at the waitress, then the drink, then Fai. "I didn't finish this one yet." He put down the glass that was in his hand and arched a brow. 

"This place prides itself on service. Don't worry. It's all going on my tab." Fai winked and then nodded to the confused waitress who just set the drink down and scurried away in her too tight black tank top. Fai shook his head and pitied the girl, but only briefly before looking back up at his guest. "What brings you to Italy? Business? Pleasure? Both?"

“Money isn't exactly what I was worrying about." Kurogane shrugged, completely ignoring anything but his beer and the man sitting beside him. "Neither, actually. It's not my business, and I have yet to feel any pleasure."

 Fai laid his chin on the back his upraised hand. "Is that so? Well this town isn't exactly my favorite either. But just when I was about to head home something interesting happened." He gave Kurogane a pointed look.

Kurogane looked at him for a moment, not sure if he was reading him correctly or not. But he finished his first beer, and what was the harm in potentially playing along? "Oh yeah? And what do you plan on doing about that interesting thing?"

 Fai laughed softly. "Be interested, of course."

“How interested?"

"Interested enough to still be sitting here, in a private booth with a Japanese man I know absolutely nothing about, very obviously flirting." Fai eyed Kurogane as he spoke, stirring his scotch with his finger, making the ice clink softly against the sides of the glass. “Pretty risky behavior if you ask me. It's dangerous to run off with people you don't know." His eyes flickered up to the Asian man’s face as he licked the liquid from his skin.

"Hm. That's true, it is dangerous." Kurogane looked at the other man and his lips twitched into a slight smirk. "And you appear to have much worse judgement of character than I do."

"Is that so?" Those winter eyes glanced up once again to meet  his companion’s fire red gaze. "And what makes you say that?" 

"I'm a very dangerous person." Kurogane's smirk widened. "You seem a bit as well, but I've been around much worse."

Fai's smile broadened. This man wasn't an idiot. Most people would take one look at Fai and see him as nothing more dangerous than a street side flower vendor. His soft way of speaking and gentle demeanor spoke little to the person underneath it all, and while Kurogane's assessment wasn't exactly like hitting a nail on the head, he was still close to the mark. "Perhaps." he teased. Rule number one: Never underestimate anyone.

"Well, as long as you don't use whatever it is that makes you dangerous on me, I won't complain." Kurogane shook his head and continued to watch the other man even as he drank a little more of his beer. 

Fai didn’t laugh, but his amusement was written across his face as he sat back, removing the scarf from around his neck. The alcohol starting to warm his blood. He certainly liked this one, and it wasn't hard to see where this conversation was going to lead, but there was no need to rush things.

"How are you so sure I already haven't." One blond eyebrow arched up, his face suddenly serious, and he managed to hold it for a seconded or two before a silvery laugh crack the mask. "Nope, can't do it with a straight face." 

The larger man chuckled a little and looked at him. "Well, I have all of my limbs and necessary parts." He smirked a little wider at the implication. “And I'm not dead yet. If you intend to, well, that won't work out well for me, so I'll have to leave. And I don't think either of us want that yet."

Before Fai could even realize it there was a tiny blush on his cheeks, nothing obvious, just a small brushing of a color and a faint tingle that started in his face and traveled down through the rest of him. Perhaps he was a bit drunk.

"No, that isn't my intention. I’m fine with you keeping your necessary parts. Prefer it, actually." Something shifted in the air. It was subtle, but there was a new weight to his movements. One finger slid along the corner of his glass as his eyes moved their focus from the collecting condensation back up to Kurogane's face.

"Then we're on the same page." Kurogane murmured. He definitely noticed the change, subtle as it was. He took another drink of his beer, putting the glass down on the table and leaning in just a little closer. "Unless your intention is different from mine."

Fai studied him for a long moment. "No, I'm pretty sure we have the same idea in mind. Why else would you spend this amount of time speaking to a guy you just met in the bar? I'd say your intentions toward me were pretty obvious the second you chose to sit down next to me, despite the other options that would have been readily available to you. Kurochan is a pervert." His eyes shimmered and match the jewelry that adorned his ears and fingers as they caught the dancing lights of the club below. 

"I sat there because it was at the bar." Kurogane shook his head, but he leaned in just a little more. "You're the one who ordered my drink for me. I would say that's more obvious." He sat back then, taking in the sight before him and making it really obvious what he was looking at.

"Well I couldn't leave you standing there like that. A lost man who just wanted a beer? I would’ve had to of been cruel." Fai raised a hand to stop any questions about how he knew the other man was lost, and just motioned his eyes to look around the place then directed them back at Kurogane who was still in his suit, as if to say 'really?'. The man looked good, really good, but compared to Fai and even more so to the rest of the clientele, the man looked more like he came from a mafia funeral.

Kurogane shrugged a bit as he continued to sit back in his seat, his hand coming up to loosen his red tie just a little, as if it were too hot in here, though he was pretty accustomed to heat. "Fair enough. I wouldn't pick a place like this anyway. You didn't look like you were too thrilled to be here, either, though you fit in a lot better than I do."

"I had to speak with an old acquaintance who happens to run this place. I called in a favor and he brought up some messy personal history, but I got the job done and he got the point." Fai's hand waved dismissively as he watched the crowd below slowly begin to grow. "I haven't actually been back here for a while."

"I see." Kurogane had no intention of prying, so he didn't. He just watched Fai, his eyes narrowing slightly at some of the other man's more subtle movements. He also politely kept his snarky comment about the 'old acquaintance' to himself. After all, the blond looked like he couldn't even have been old enough to graduate university yet.

There was a break in the conversation, and Fai let the silence grow just the edge of becoming awkward before he looked back over at the other man. "Wanna get out of here? I'll take you anywhere you want to go." 

"Yes." The larger man nodded. He definitely wanted to get out of here before it started to get too stuffy and the dancing masses started to smell of sweat and desperate hormones.

Fai slipped from the booth with the same level of ease he used to get in, downing what was left of his drink, relishing the burn of it before and placing the empty glass neatly back in the center of the napkin asking, "Where would you like to go?" He stood at Kurogane's exit point, his hip leaning against the table, the man would practically be sliding up his body as he moved to get out.

That was certainly no accident, and Kurogane had every intention of playing along, so as he stood, he made sure to press his body against Fai even more than the other man had apparently anticipated, and he grinned slightly as he leaned in to whisper into his ear. "That depends on where you want to take me."

"Anywhere but here." Fai whispered as he allowed a bit more color to paint his cheeks, neck tilting just enough to appreciate the feel of Kurogane's breath against the sensitive flesh. "If you can't tell Kurorin," Another nickname, they were coming out pretty naturally. "I'm not that picky." 

"You should be pickier." He let his lips brush against the blond’s ear as he whispered, but then he slid away from him and walked away from the table, only stopping after a few steps and looking over his shoulder at him. 

_Shit._ Fai thought to himself as a gasp left him at the touch to his ear. He could blame it on Orin, he could blame it on the drinks, he could blame it on the fact that it had been a while since he allowed himself the pleasure of another human's touch. He could blame it on any number of factors, but the bottom line was that he reacted, not only visibly but with that gasp. His eyes met Kurogane's any and all pretenses were shot.  

Kurogane smirked at the other man's reaction and held his hand out to him. He would gloat, but only with the expression on his face because he was just as affected by the blond as the blond was by him. He just hid it better. "Are you coming?"

"Hopefully." Fai joked crudely and shook his head to clear it enough to take that step forward and to place his hand into the one offered.

"Oh? Then I'll make sure that happens." Kurogane took Fai's hand and lead him out of the club and towards his rental. 

Fai walked behind him as the large Japanese man led him back through the maze of tables, chairs, and now the onslaught of sweaty and eager youths, and out the front door.

Kurogane glanced over his shoulder once he got to the rental car. Not his normal style, but it was red, and comfortable, and it worked well enough. "Here." He opened the passenger door for Fai and looked at him.

Normally at the sight of a flashy red Granturismo would make Fai head in the other direction. There was nothing wrong with the car, it was a nice sleek automobile, but there was usually only one reason a person showed up at the night club with a car like that, and Fai knew his thoughts were hypocritical. He was the one who had lead their conversation and their actions to the point that they were in. If this has been anyone else other than Kurogane there would have been a bad taste in his mouth. 

Fai took a moment to appreciate the sight of the young man he’d just picked up, dressed in those jeans, his shirt buttoned down midway to his chest, and his tie now loose from his neck, a hip resting again the gentle curve of the hood. Fai wanted him and he felt the hunger inside of him growing more with every shift of the other man’s body. It was all Fai could do to repress his baser instincts, and he took his seat. 

Kurogane waited until he was settled, and then he carefully shut the door, walking around the front of the car before getting in himself and turning the key in the ignition. He glanced at Fai out of the corner of his eye. "So direct me."

“Well, where would you like to go?” Fai’s lips quirked up as he gave the larger man a slide long glance. All Fai had really wanted to do was get away from the press the club and as long as he was with this man, he didn’t care where they ended up.

“There’s a bit of construction around the city, I noticed it on my way in, but I should still be able to get you where you want to go.” Fai pulled another cigarette out of his pocket. However, he didn’t move to light it, instead he danced it between long slender fingers. “So? Hotel? Bar? Somewhere else?”

Kurogane glanced at him before he shook his head. "Just help me get back to my hotel." He pulled a small card out of his pocket and took the cigarette from Fai's fingers, putting the card between them instead.

The complaint died on Fai’s lips and was reborn as an appreciative whistle when he got a look at the key card. It was simple and white with the words St. Regis scrawled across the front in a maroon gilded font.  The hotel was not a typical room and board place. A person didn’t just stay at the St. Regis, they were pampered, catered to, and treated like royalty at the hotel.  It was a good thing too, with price tag that was well over a grand a night, royalty and guests of state were some of the only ones who could afford it.

 “Well then,” Fai tapped the card against his thigh. “You’re going to need to get on Lungotevere Tor di Nona. Don’t worry, this is easy. I’ll get you there safe and sound.”

Kurogane nodded and leaned just a little closer to him as he drove, following each one of the smaller man's directions without problem until he pulled up to the front of the hotel. "Here." He smirked a bit as he got out and tossed the keys to the waiting valet, waiting for Fai to step up to his side so he could lead him into the building and straight to his room.

Fai shook his head a little as he was guided through the hotel and tried to act as if the place impressed him. Brass and gold inlay on the walls and floor provided the lobby with an air of luxury and extravagance. They pieced together the motif with low hanging antique chandeliers, which were remnants of pre-World War II era decadence. Large crystals refracted the light and illuminated the whole room in old world ambiance. Fai could even see where early electricians adapted the crystal structures from candle light.  Seven years ago the mage might have felt like a fairy tale prince finally coming home, but now this was just another place with a different partner.

Kurogane couldn't help the bored look that crossed his face as he walked through the lobby. At least Fai seemed to enjoy the opulence of the place. To Kurogane, it was a waste of money.

Fai found himself genuinely smiling up at the elevator’s only other sole occupant. Kurogane was certainly different. Fai still couldn’t place what to blame that sensation on, be it the incubus overriding his common sense or just his need to put an end to sexual dry spell, but as those red eyes obviously looked him over, and appreciatively, Fai couldn’t be damned to care.

As they rode the elevator, Kurogane inched closer to Fai, making no attempt to hide the way he was looking at him. When the man smiled at him, he smiled back, and as the elevator door opened, he took the other man's hand and gently pulled him down the hall and into his room, still holding him as he opened the door and pulled him inside, letting the door close with an audible click.

Fai had stepped past the other man and froze. Something about the latching sound of the lock sent a heat up Fai’s cheeks. It echoed in his head as salient as a slamming door down a prison block. Trapped, nervous, and excited, Fai felt his breath start to quicken and he chided himself for it. His reactions were still too natural, too young, and to obvious. There wasn’t much he could do about it now, so he decided to use it in his favor.

Fai didn’t turn around to face the other man. Instead he looked at him over the curve of one slender shoulder as he slid the scarf from around his neck, cobalt eyes flickering up to Kurogane, shy, unsure, but well aware.

Kurogane let go of the other man's hand, stepping into the room and stretching a bit, as if that would take some of the pressure off. If Fai decided to change his mind, he would respect that, but he wasn't exactly going to voice it, in case that would make him change his mind. "I know this room is a bit too much."

“Huh?” Fai’s voice broke a little before he followed the bigger man, and like he had down in the lobby, he looked around the place with wide eyed enthusiasm. Fai wasn’t the type to lounge in the lap of luxury, but his associates certainly were, so he was accustomed to the airs others tried to put on.

“Your boss likes to spoil you. This doesn’t seem like your style.” He continued as stepped further in the room, actually thankful for the second to catch his breath. “But that’s not all bad either,” He made his way for the liquor cabinet. “to be spoiled once in a while.”

"I hate it." Kurogane shook his head and watched him. "Being spoiled, I mean. This room is entirely too big for just one person." He walked right up behind Fai as he stood at the liquor cabinet and rested his hands on his shoulders. "Good thing you're here. Now it doesn't feel so empty."

The heat in Fai’s cheeks flared up again. “Well then,” He placed the crystal decanter back down with a gentle chiming clink, having never poured a drop of its contents. “It’s a good thing you found someone else to spoil, hm?” He turned his head, letting his lips graze over Kurogane’s knuckles.

"Hm. That makes it beneficial for both of us hm? The spoiling doesn't go unappreciated..." Kurogane smirked and moved that hand so he could slide a finger over Fai's lips. "And I don't have to worry about keeping this big room to myself."

Fai turned his body to line up with the way Kurogane’s action gently held his head. His eyes catching his and holding them as those soft lips continued to move against the offered finger.

“I appreciate your generosity.” Fai said. He didn’t exactly have a place to stay either way.

"And I appreciate your company." That finger slid down along the line of the smaller man's jaw.

“Oh?” There was a shiver of a breath, and his head titled to the side in subtle submission of his guidance, exposing the smooth ivory length of his neck.

Kurogane slid that finger down along his neck as he leaned in. "Yes. Should I prove it to you?" His voice came out a bit huskier than he intended, but it still seemed to have the desired effect.

Everyone has a weak spot, an area on their bodies that leaves them defenseless if manipulated just right. For Fai it was that expanse of flesh from where his ear met his jaw and down the line of his artery to his shoulder. Kurogane, a man he’d known for barely a night, honed in on it like an afterthought. Fai lips parted to ease the passage of his quickened breath, as he just barely nodded his head in reply to man’s question.

"Then let me show you." He leaned in and slid his lips from that spot by his ear, down his jaw. He didn't know why he felt compelled to do this slow sort of seduction, but it felt right, and it felt natural, though he never did this in such a manner before.

“Ah.. ah..” Fai’s hands lifted to tangle themselves into the arms of Kurogane’s shirt. His breath was so warm, lips perfectly following the contours of is neck, leaving wet sensitive flesh in their wake rousing a whimper from his own.

Kurogane kept up those attentions to his neck, allowing his tongue to taste just a little of Fai's perfect flesh, and as he did, he slowly started pulling him towards the bed.

Fai knew where they were heading as Kurogane guided their bodies across the room and when he fell back on the bed something of a giddy laugh escaped his lips accompanied by smile as he looked up at the man who now leaned over him, his muscular body settling itself between his legs. Fai’s fingers twisted their way out of his shirt and moved up to gently dust their tip over the edges of Kurogane’s face, slipping into his hairline before pushing back to feel the texture of his raven colored locks.

Kurogane couldn't help the groan that escaped his lips when those fingers went into his hair, and he pressed his body closer to the one beneath him. How did someone he never met before know how to manipulate him in all the right ways?

“Kurogane…”

"Hm?" He lifted his head and looked down at him.

Fai shook his head and moved his fingers through his hair, curling into the finer strands around the nape of his neck. It felt good, nostalgic, like a long lost moment in a dream.

“Nothing.”

"Then you just felt like saying my name?" There was something so familiar in that question, as if Kurogane had uttered it before, though he never had. But before he really thought about it, he leaned in that much closer, so his lips hovered just above Fai's.

Fai chuckled fondly. “Would you rather I talk about the weather?” He eyed those lips as they came closer to his own and he slipped his hand down so his thumb could trace just under them while his other pulled him that much closer. “Or should I just keep moaning your name.” He whispered into the space between.

"If you moan the first thing, it'll almost sound as good as the second." He smirked and let his tongue come out to lick at that thumb. His eyes locked on the blond’s, and his smirk widened.

“So just the sound of my voice then?” Fai nuzzled his thumb out of the way and caught the touch of Kurogane’s tongue against his own lips as they parted to allow him entry.  He closed the distance with a languid kiss.

"Mmm." Kurogane closed his eyes and pressed himself closer to him during that kiss, making sure their bodies kept in as close contact as possible given the hindrance of their clothing.

“And how was that? Better than hearing your name? Fai purred when the kiss broke, his darkened eyes sparkling up at him as pushed his stray hand up into Kurogane’s untucked shirt.

"Much." A smirk came to his lips and he leaned down to kiss him like that again.

 

 

 “Shit.” Fai rummaged through the room, trying to find where random articles of his clothing laid strewn about. Eventually he had to use a honing spell to make his clothing glow just enough to allow him to see it in the darkened room. The spots of green illumination over the room made him blush. By the bed was where he lost his pants and underwear, by the dresser was where Kurogane had tossed his shirt off him during round two, round three was in the shower where Fai had taken off his watch

“Do you keep these on all the time?” Kurogane had asked about his earrings as he nibbled at the wet flesh of his ear. Fai hadn’t replied at the time outside of a moan. The memory caused him to finger over black gold cuff, feeling each stone more out of habit than any concern for it. He shivered as he remembered the sensation that flooded through his body, but memories were dispelled with a violent shake of his head before more alien feelings could rise to the surface. Fai redoubled his efforts to get out of the hotel room quickly and silently.

He’d never felt anxious about one night stands before, but there was something about this one, something that told him that if that man woke up now Fai would never leave. He had been too comfortable here, too welcoming to his advances, and far too trusting. He didn’t know this man, and even if he had been one of the greatest human beings on the face of the planet, there was no way Fai could drag him into the game of Russian roulette that was his life.

He dressed quickly and moved along the wall before looking over his shoulder as he opened the door to the hallway, the fine line of light from the cracked door highlighting the peacefully sleeping face. A pain unknown to him panged in his stomach and the mage forced himself out into hallway, out the elevator, and into the first taxi he could hail, all before the sun had a chance to rise.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reference Song: 
> 
>  
> 
> [ How to be a Heartbreaker - Marina and the Diamonds](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fonsGqCtUnA)


	4. Interlude I

“That should do it.” Fai stepped away from the wall and cocked his head to the side. He wasn’t exactly sure what the character on the parchment meant, but it seemed to have enough significance to Kurogane to have it hanging in the dojo. It took Tomoyo-hime just under a week to secure them housing after their final arrival in Nihon. It was a typical one story home of the local aesthetic. It was large and sprawling, with every room leading into the central garden through paper doors. It was just outside the walls of the main palace in a location reserved for nobles and imperial councilors. Kurogane and Fai didn’t have much to call their own after nearly two decades of world hopping save but a few mementos picked up along the way, and Fai was in the process of adding them around their home.

“What does that mean? A dragon? Probably a dragon…” Fai was sure he saw the kanji for ‘ryu’ in the seemingly deliberate black brush strokes, but the rest was hard for him to make out. However, if it had something to do with Kurogane chances were it meant ‘Dragon … something.’ Fai mastered the spoken language of this world in record time. The written, well that was its own beast.

"Hm?" Kurogane was sitting on the floor, his back to Fai, so he turned around and looked at his partner, then at the scroll hanging there before he looked back at Fai again. "Does it matter? Sounds like you've already started to make fun of me for it." He shook his head and turned back around, looking at the small table in front of him and the mess of parchments spread out before him. They had only been here a short amount of time, but it already felt like the work was piling up.

Fai smiled and looked over his shoulder. “You would be bored otherwise.” He studied the ninja for a moment and walked over, slinging his arm around his neck as he looked over the scrolls. A few random words stood out to him but not enough to make the paper work sensical. “Of course it matters. How else will I learn if you don’t tell me?”

"That's not going to help you learn." He glanced at him. "The children's scrolls will help you learn." He smirked just a little.

“I’ve gone through those already, and I’m very proficient at writing ‘The ball is under, above, beside, or below the table’.” Fai slid his hand off the larger man’s shoulder, his fingers gently dusting the back of his neck as he did so. “Though for now Amaterasu-sama is willing to look beyond my inability to read, and is summoning me to court.” Fai kneeled down on the floor to be more level with the other man. 

"Oh. Is that so?" Something crossed Kurogane's face, and he pulled enough away from him that Fai couldn't see his expression darkening. "Do whatever you want." He said, the words sounding a bit more forced than normal.

“I generally do anyway.” Fai studied the man, the smile leaving his features for just a moment. “What would Kurorata have me do if given the option?” He reached over, gently touching the edge of the man’s hairline. “How would you make use of me?”

"I wouldn't make use of you." Kurogane pulled away from him again and stood abruptly, almost knocking the small table over. "She would though. She'd make so much use of you there'd be nothing left. And she'd let others make use of you, too. So if that's what you want, by all means."

Wide blue saucers looked up at Kurogane from where the mage still sat on his legs. “Kurorin.” Fai whispered and after a moment he lifted a calming hand to rest against other’s thigh. “I don’t think the empress is keen on selling me to the highest bidder.” Fai paused for swollen minute as he allowed Kurogane to digest what he was implying “Or… to anyone else for that matter.” An eyebrow arched with his dry response.

“I’m too powerful, she wants me under wraps and on her side. She’s going to play it safe. Nihon is a paradise, but it has its politics and politics are dangerous in any country.” If Fai had been annoyed by the implication he didn’t let it show. 

“I’ve been playing these games for a vast majority of my life. I’ve been council to a king far longer than most people in this country have been alive.” Fai smiled. “I wouldn’t let someone use me, but I can’t very well turn down a royal summons. Can I?” 

"And she's going to use you and use you and use you. She's not going to be able to help herself because at first it will all be with good intentions, and then it will change because how can it not?" Kurogane turned his head to look at him. "And then you won't be coming home. You'll be stuck there, for nights, weeks, months. And then what?" The frown that had begun to form earlier deepened, and his eyes narrowed to mere slits. 

Fai sat in silent contemplation before he took Kurogane’s hand and pulled it down to his own cheek, kissing the palm. “Then I’ll say no. If it upsets you so much. I’ve told you this a thousand times. You are my only home. If I can’t be with you, I don’t want to be anywhere else. Even if my Kurosama is selfish and possessive.” Fai smirked, moving his lips against his hands, but then Fai blinked. Something seemed a little different, and for a moment he was taken aback. Had Kurogane’s hands always had those tiny wrinkles on his fingers? When had that happened? Fai mentally shook his head and looks up at his lover.

"I'm not going to tell you what you can and can't do..." The larger man sighed and carefully sat back down in front of Fai, and as he looked at him, his expression softened. He must have looked a little more tired than angry at the moment, given the way Fai seemed to go silent earlier. "But I don't want you to leave me. If that's me being selfish and possessive, then fine."

“I think I gathered that, once or twice.” Fai pointedly rested his hand on Kurogane’s fake arm. “Idiot.” There was no spite in the word, just gentle endearment. “But you are selfish, and possessive.” Fai chuckled. 

“That’s okay though,” A wicked glint flashed in the mage’s eyes. “I like that part about you. It’s good to feel wanted.” He purred out.

Kurogane seemed to relax a little at the touch to his fake arm, despite the unpleasant memories that usually tried to push themselves to the forefront of his mind whenever attention was brought to it. "I just don't want you to be treated like a thing and not a person...Well, that’s part of it. I do mean it when I say I don't want you to leave me."

“I’d never leave you.” Fai pulled himself into the larger man, his head against his chest, his eyes closing as he curled his fingers into his, messaging the space between Kurogane’s. Tracing along their edge, he felt the flesh and that nagging feeling pressed itself forward once more. It was a notion, an unspoken reality they would have to face eventually, but not yet. Not now. Fai kept his eyes closed as he brought Kurogane’s fingers up to his lips and kissed each knuckle in turn, pressing his body into him just a little tighter.

"Did I upset you?" Of course Kurogane noticed the change in Fai's demeanor. He noticed it earlier, but half-ignored it then. Now it was impossible to pretend like it hadn’t happened, though he wasn't quite sure of the source. "Is it too much for me to ask you not to work for her?"

“Hnm?” Fai whispered as if he’d completely forgotten what they were discussing, lost in his own trance of thoughts before he smiled and chased their shadows from his face. “No, it’s not too much to ask. I’ll go to court, see what she really wants, and then respectfully decline. She’s a hard woman, but not unreasonable.”

"Do you want me to go with you?" Kurogane's brows furrowed. "Though that might make it worse, since she only asked for you."

“Do you think it would be wise? It might aggravate the situation.” Fai sat up a little but only to nuzzle his head in under Kurogane’s neck. “Besides, you have a mountain of work you have to do.” He nodded to the scrolls on the desk. “It’s like they think you’re responsible now, or something. I guess saving several thousand worlds along with space and time has that effect on people.” 

"I know. I know it's not a good idea. I just don't like it." He shook his head gently, careful of Fai's head with the way it was positioned. "Part of me wonders if this is just a ruse to get me away from you for a little bit." He couldn't help but be suspicious after everything they had been through. 

Fai chuckled softly. “I don’t think you have too much to worry about. This is your home Kurosama, this is your family. They love you here. No one would do anything to intentionally hurt you.”

"It's happened before..." Kurogane sighed. "It could happen again."

Fai remained still for a moment before he leaned up, the kimono riding up his thighs as he straddled the other’s man’s lap. “Listen to me, Kurorin. I’m not going anywhere. I’ve promised you that, and I’m strong enough to make sure that’s a promise I can keep. No matter what.” His voice was stern, and his eyes were serious even as a finger came up and bopped the other man on the nose. “Do you trust me?”

"Of course I trust you. You're the only one I trust." Kurogane looked at him, his hands moving to rest on Fai's waist after he shifted his position. "I won't let you leave, either. And the only way you're ever going to be able to get away is if you kill me or if you die, but I'm the only one allowed to kill you." He managed a little grin. "That's something I have no intention of doing."

"Have I ever told you how romantic you are?" Fai leveled his gaze at him.

"No." He chuckled. "Not that I can blame you for that." 

"Just making sure." But he smiled behind his words as he leaned in to kiss him, his arms looping around his shoulders. "But you are pretty cute." Fai grinned. "So I'll keep you, Kurochan."

"Oh? So you'll only keep me because I'm cute? I'm not very cute. You just have weird taste." Kurogane grinned against Fai's lips and pulled him a little closer. "Not that I mind."

Fai's fingers moved from his neck, through his hair, then down to trace the smile on Kurogane's lips as his forehead came to rest against his. "I have exquisite taste. I just stick to what I can get."

"Oh? So does that mean I'm a good taste or a bad taste?" Kurogane's voice dropped. "If you're just sticking to what you can get, I must be pretty mediocre, hm?" His hands rubbed Fai's sides a little. 

“Hmm. Well…” Fai leaned in and kissed him again, this time tilting Kurogane’s head back and he tasted him deeply and thoroughly. A slow smile bowed his lips as he pulled away. “Tastes pretty good.” 

Kurogane's eyes half closed and his hands slid from Fai's waist, down over his hips, pulling him that much closer in his lap. "Mmm. Does it?" He looked at him through those narrowed eyes. 

“Yeah.” Fai licked his lips. How many times and in how many worlds had there been moments like this? Fai couldn’t remember. He tried to think of them as Kurogane laid him back on the tatami floor, his hands moving over a body he’d already memorized long ago. The years, the worlds, everything blended into one eternal point.


	5. The Pretender

Kurogane sensed the light intruding from the hallway before he heard the door click shut. He heard the hurried footsteps grow fainter as they got farther away from the room. He could have gotten up. He could have caught up to the other man and demanded an explanation.  

But he didn’t. He stayed in the bed and stared at the wall. So this is what it felt like to be left in the morning. He was always the one ducking out as soon as the other person fell asleep because he didn’t want to be with them, so he never had it happen to him before. Of course, there usually weren’t any pretenses with those other people. They knew he wasn’t going to stay, and if they had a problem with it, he wouldn’t even bother with them. Then again, those were usually revenge fucks or pity sex. He never actually had a one night stand with a random person before.

Was that why this didn’t feel good? Because it was random? Because it was something new and different, and, while he hated to admit it, it was probably the best sex he ever had? He couldn’t even imagine having better sex. It had never even been  good enough to want a second go, let alone a third.

So here he was, lying in bed, staring at the wall and feeling somewhat dejected. There was a slight pang in his stomach, but that had to be from the alcohol and the lack of food right before the hours of romping last night, right? It absolutely had nothing to do with the man who somehow made him feel things he never felt, and who somehow made him want to sleep through the night. It couldn't have anything to do with that. Kurogane didn't feel things like that.

And he was good at making sure he didn't feel things, so any time he met with his father and his brother, he kept his normal indifferent expression, even if his mind was somewhere completely different. Even if he thought this whole endeavor was ridiculous. It was ridiculous and a waste of time to come all the way here to deal with some gnarly old man because his brother suddenly became obsessed with Western theology.

It was worse when Kurogane found out just how much money his father spent on the whole thing. He could feel the heat rising up his neck as his anger grew. He knew his father spoiled his worthless brother before, but this?

"How could you spend so much money on this that you don't even know the exact amount you spent?" He snarled a little as he looked across the table at his father, clearly doing his best to keep from leaping across the surface and strangling the old man. "Are you trying to make more messes for me to clean up?"

"It's not that much money, and I wouldn't have spent it if I didn't think it was worth it."

"It is that much money, and you don't actually care if it's worth it or not. You never have, so why would you start now?"

His father leveled his gaze on Kurogane and frowned a bit. “You’re getting upset over some money. This isn’t like you.”

“It’s not just about money. It’s that you do this all the time. He wants something, you throw cash at him to appease him. It lasts about a month, if that, and then he whines and you just do it again. Over and over. But this is worse. This is a lot more money than before, and I’m going to have to clean up after the both of you this time. What are you going to do when he gets bored with this idea? Are you just going to shrug your shoulders like last time? Are you going to make some quip about how picky he is?”

“He assured me it wasn’t like that.”

“He assures you every time.”

“What would you have me do then, Kurogane?” The frown on his father’s face deepened. “Tell him to forget it and go home?”

“Yes. I would prefer that.”

“Well, it’s too late for that.”

“Of course it is.” Kurogane pushed away from the table and stood so quickly, his chair fell behind him. He grunted a little and picked it up before he turned his attention back to his father. “So here’s what’s going to happen. Since I am going to be the one who has to deal with the aftermath, either because you bankrupt us for his stupid whims, or because I have to be the one to earn more money, you’re going to let me handle this so you don’t spend any more money.”

“Let you handle it? How are you going to do that? Beat the shit out of your brother? Be a dick to some innocent priest?”

Kurogane gripped the back of his chair and shook his head. “No, though trust me, I want to beat the shit out of both of you.” He leaned in a little and narrowed his eyes. “All financial decisions are going to be mine, not yours. Or you will be the one explaining to the guys why they no longer have a place in our group.”

“Tch.” His father practically spit. “Fine. But don’t say I never listen to you after this.”

“If you listened to me before this, we wouldn’t have a this to worry about.” Kurogane stood back up again and shook his head. “And if he whines to you about me handling it, you actually deal with him for once and make sure he understands why this is my business now and not yours.”

“Just get out of my face before I get angry at you for this attitude.” His father turned his head away from him.

“Whatever.” Kurogane snarled and left the restaurant, clenching his fists as he passed through the doors.

 

Fai rubbed the bridge of his nose as he closed his eyes tightly against the light.  The fixtures, with their environmentally safe florescent illumination, cast a sterile glow about the rented space. That was pretty much only thing sterile about this building.  It was musty, with cracked cement flooring and dented ventilation pipes hanging from rusted bolts in the ceiling. Fai imagined he could hear a rat skittering through from time to time. Nasty little plague bringers.  A single wooden table with two mismatch chairs were the only furnishings in the center of the room and provided the space with a warehouse like vastness.

Fai shifted uncomfortably in one of the chairs. It was one of those old office chairs that would have been better off in a dump then for human use. One wheel was missing, making it impossible to balance, and every move he made creaked the metal seat and scraped the wheel-less leg against the floor, causing an echo, which shot like a bolt of lightning through Fai’s head. That combined with his lack of sleep was having a negative effect on his tolerance for several things.

“Are you listening?” As Lem paced, his canine claws clicked on the floor, drawing Fai’s ire. 

“Same stuff you always say.” Fai waved a hand dismissively as he smoothed the other over his jean pockets, standing up for just a second to fish out a warped pack of American Spirits. Removing a cigarette, he took stock of the remnants.  There were only had three left.  He’d make a run to the market when he was done here. He put that task on his mental check list as he did another pat down of his clothing, but came up empty. He would have to add a new lighter to that list as well.

Flame flashed to life in front his face, sending spikes of pain from his eyes straight through his ocular nerve and into the back of his brain. He didn’t flinch though; he just leaned forward with the cigarette sticking straight out from his lips, and mumbled an ungrateful sounding thank you around the end.

“Attitude? Already? Isn’t it a bit early for that?” Karen’s voice purred from her lips and into Fai’s ear as the blond exhaled a smoke filled breath. “Though I do like it when you’re sassy. You get an adorable little pout.”

Fai shook his head, and slumped back into the chair, sinking into the arms around him. He couldn’t stay sullen around this woman even if he tried. He figured it was because she was so unapologetically flirtatious there was little else the mage could do.  His hands come up to gently hold her wrists, and he tilted his head back, the cig balanced carefully between his lips.

“If I was anything other than … What the hell is that?!” Fai’s lasts words sputtered out of his mouth as he got his first real look at the fire mage. He whirled his chair around. His shock only increased as he dropped the freshly lit cigarette into his lap, which forced the mage to dart up from his seat in a mad flail of long limbs. The frantic motion caused the chair to fall back with a resounding crack as the back brace slammed against concrete. The sound resounded in the place with head-splitting decibels and did little to cover the chimes of Karen’s laughter.

“Literally, what the hell is that!?” Fai’s hands motioned wildly to the woman who stood before him. Her body clad head to toe in black with a rope cinched around her waist, providing the only hint of a figure. Strawberry blond hair, normally wild with seductive curls, was tucked within a white coif and hidden behind a washed-out black drapery.

“A nun? Seriously?”

“It’s not like lightening is going to strike me down.” The woman shrugged her shoulders and seemed to be even more amused than before.

“I wouldn’t rule out the possibility!” Fai squeaked out before he took a breath, squeezed his eyes shut, and rubbed at his nose again. He took a moment to gather his thoughts, and after a long exhalation, he reached down to pick his cigarette up from the floor. Holding it to the light, he looked it over discerningly before he shrugged and placed it back between his lips. When one was limited in supply, one couldn’t be picky.

“So, why the penguin suit?” He asked, looking at her from the corner of his eye.

“I sent you the debriefing documents.” The statement was so matter of fact, and even as Karen said it Fai pictured the manila folder laying untouched on the edge of his hotel bed. Since his one night stand a few days ago, he hadn’t been able to think of little else. He wondered about the man, where he was, what he thought, if there was a way he could contact him, and a list of other things that had no business being in his mind. Sleep was fleeting, and when he did manage to catch it, it was filled with those damn dreams, always different yet always the same.  A feminine sigh and a click of heels, which echoed her irritation though the small space, brought Fai’s attention back to the present.

“You didn’t read it?”

“It’s been a busy two days.” Fai sighed, righting the chair.

“Not too busy to make a new friend.” The accusation in Karen’s voice caused Fai’s brow to twitch and his eyes darted directly over to the canine demon who sat on his hunches beside the table. Lem shrugged innocently meeting his gaze with honest confusion.

“I thought I was going to go it alone.” He turned his glare back on the fire mage.

“You were. I didn’t interfere with you.”

“You just kept an eye on me?”

“I did what I felt was necessary.”

“You didn’t trust me.”

“You’re young Fai, and you’re still inexperienced. You can’t honestly think that–“

“I can’t huh?” He cut her off with his eyes still narrowed.  “Funny how that’s an issue now. I was under the impression that it was about results by any means necessary.” Fai couldn’t keep the venom out of his voice.

“And look where that got us?” She came back coolly.

Fai felt his temper rising as he tightened his jaw.  Deep ocean eyes narrowed into shards of ice as they regarded the woman before the temperature in the room started a dramatic drop.  It didn’t matter what type of mage a person was, each one had a natural affinity for a particular subject or element. Some mages can never branch out of that talent, while others just use it as a starting point and are just stronger with it. The ability to call upon the skill requires as much effort as a blink. It was part of the reason it was important for these talents to be spotted early because depending on the strength of the practitioner the power could become dangerous.

Control was the first thing any novice magician learned, but even then the power could show in a burst of uncontrolled emotion.  Ice was something Fai knew. When he closed his eyes and thought of his center, he saw vast lands covered in fresh blanket of pristine snow, landscapes spotted with towering evergreens and a sharp wind that caressed his face with frozen finger tips like the touch of a forgotten lover.  Those winds would come to protect him and shield him from the dangers around him, often manifesting in a sudden and severe drop to the temperature in the place he occupied.

Karen was unfazed as she gently placed her hand on the boy’s shoulder, studying the tightly clenched line of his jaw. “I won’t make the same mistake twice.”   She cupped his cheek gently in her hand, her natural warmth almost burning his skin as her breath came out in visible puffs of air.

“Control, Fai.” The blond’s head tilted to the side at Karen’s gentle command, letting her hand cradle his cheek and his eyes closed as he breathed deeply until the room retained its natural climate, with only the chattering of Lem’s teeth being the only reminder. Fai’s brother was always a dangerous subject, and she had known the ground she was treading when she made the implication, so she was willing to follow the path of forgiveness, at least this time.

Karen waited until those blue eyes were clear and focused up on her before she started speaking, and she simply asked. “Back to business?”

Fai nodded his head, doing little to hide the shame he felt for all but proving her earlier point. Karen nodded back to him and her Cupid ’s bowed lips curved into a smile. “How’s your Japanese?” 

 

“Can you at least act like a respectable adult?” Karen hissed in a whisper at the unenthused priest who sat beside her. The blond was stacking up dairy creamers into precarious pyramids while the Roman elite enjoyed their quaint open-air brunch. The high arched doors in the perfectly square room were all open to the scenic cobblestone streets. Flowers lightly perfumed the room as their scent, caught up by the breeze, billowed into the room shifting sheer curtains and table cloths until it mingled with the smell of cooking breakfast sausages and pastries. Complimentary mimosas and coffee awaited each guest at every table, while water was asked for and delivered with the flare and attitude of a Dom Perignon.

“They will be here soon, please Fai.”

Fai sighed and sat up straight. The priest clothing was surprisingly breathable despite its outward appearance, but the white collar constricted him like noose.  He hated this idea, he hated this plan, and he hated the idea of having to go to Japan. It wasn’t that he had anything against the area itself, but there were dangers lurking in that small Island country that even Fai had the better sense than to trifle with. Not to mention, nothing about this was sitting well with him.  “This is weak, even for you.”

“Just trust me. I’ve done all the work for you, you just have to do what you do best.”

‘Blow things up?’ Is what Fai wanted to say, but he kept his rebellious mouth shut. He knew what she was implying. Charm. Seduce. Investigate. Destroy.  The four key components of any good undercover operation.

Kurogane entered the room just behind his father, his eyes narrowing in on the table they needed to walk to. He was still pissed off about this whole idea, and his father knew he was still pissed off, but since he had made him relinquish control of the situation, he was stuck going to this stupid meeting.

"Could you at least look less homicidal when we get to the table?" His father whispered harshly. "They're right over there."

Kurogane looked. There was a nun with the priest, but she was the one sitting closest to them, so he wasn't able to get a good look at either of them, not with her habit in the way. He did catch a glimpse of short, blond hair, and there was no way that whoever they would have to meet was old enough to be a priest for very long. "You're kidding me right?"

His father stopped and elbowed him lightly before he continued to the table and bowed. "Hello. I'm Shishio Sumiyoshi, and this is my son Kurogane. He'll be the one handling this for the most part."

Kurogane stopped next to his father and bowed deeply, forcing the scowl off his face before he straightened back up and stared at the two sitting before them. His eyes narrowed when he looked at the face of the man he had just slept with a few days prior, but he gritted his teeth and kept his mouth shut.

A cold sweat formed on the back of the blond’s neck as a fevered flush came to his cheeks, the sensations met and warred in his throat causing it to dry out and catch his words. Though, if he could speak what would he say? Did words even exist that would do justice for his current situation? The world outside had slowed down as the young man took just a millisecond to reorganize his thoughts. Wishing that Kurogane wouldn’t recognize him was out of the question, if Karen knew what had happened chances were the job would be aborted at their loss and a shit storm would be waiting for him. Well that was waiting for him on all fronts, and right now he was sitting in the eye of it. _Well_ , he started to rationalize, _I’m_ _screwed either way, might as well make the most of it. The show must go on_.

“Mr. Sumiyoshi and Kurogane, it is a blessing to meet you both.” Karen started, her voice matronly and serene.  “Allow me to introduce you to the one I spoke of. This is Fai. He is one of our truly gifted candidates and, as part of his duties in seminary and given the qualifications you requested, the church feels that with the grace of God, he is the one meant for this undertaking.”

“Hello.”  Fai bowed politely to the two Japanese men.

"Thank you for taking the time to meet with us." The older man smiled once Fai bowed to them, pleased with the formality of it all before he took his seat and motioned for the others to do the same. "My other son is running a bit late this morning. Forgive him for that. But in the meantime, let's settle this business?"

"Isn't he a little too young?" Kurogane was frowning as he asked the question, his English leagues better than his rusty Italian. He wouldn't out the guy in front of his father, since he knew just what that would mean for both of them, but he wasn't going to make it easier, either, and so he leaned over to his father and murmured in hurried Japanese, but loud enough for Fai to hear because he knew he could understand, "This is why I insisted you let me handle this. Without knowing shit, this is what you paid all that money for?"

"Don't be rude." His father replied in equally hurried Japanese, but then he cleared his throat and turned to the others, shifting once again to English. "I must confess that your age worries me a bit...Such youth lacks the kind of experience we're looking for." And he smiled a bit apologetically. "My son's youth, for example, means that he lacks the graces he should have as a business man."

Kurogane grunted and narrowed his eyes, watching Fai.

Fai smiled softly, and it appeared that the room brightened due to its existence. His eyes were the warm calm blue of a summer lake as his hair shifted in delicate whips around his ethereal face. Sumiyoshi never stood a chance.

“I assure you Sumiyoshisan.” Fai started in his flawless Japanese. “While, I am unable to boast about my abilities due to it being distasteful to the ear of our Lord, I do want you to know that despite my youth, I will do all that is in my capabilities to help your son. The will of God got your letter into my hands, and I will do my best to carry it forth for the sake your son’s understanding of my faith.”

Karen rested a hand on Fai’s shoulder, the gesture similar to that of a mother beaming over her child. “The church raised this child, and while I do say he is currently in seminary. Those are mere formalities. For what your son has requested, even a fully ordained priest does not have as full a grasp on dogma as this one here.”  

“Well! That’s good enough for me Pops!” A ringed hand wrapped around the shoulder of the older Japanese man as another youth leaned over the table. “He might not be exactly what I had pictured in my head, but sometimes the world is full of pleasant surprises! Right Fai!” Mantarou stepped around the table and offered his hand to Fai in western formality.

“I’m sorry I’m late. Italian wine does not sit well with me. I’m Mantarou.”

Fai attempted to stand to greet the man properly but Mantarou’s touch to his shoulder kept him sitting, so instead he just took his hand and shook it. “I am afraid I do not have much experience in such matters, but I’m glad you are appearing to be well.” Fai pulled his hand carefully out of the son’s feeling it tighten just as he did so.

"You're being rude." Shishio frowned at his youngest son, shaking his head. "Sit down next to me, or would you rather sit next to your brother?" He arched a brow.

The glare Kurogane shot at Mantarou was nothing short of murderous, his lip curled a little as though he were about to snarl at the other man. "You're just in time." He said, that snarl curling into a bit of a smirk. "Father was just about to explain that I'm going to be the one in charge of this whole thing to prevent a conflict of interest."

"Conflict? What Conflict?" Mantarou sat down heavily in the chair by his father, giving the young blond priest a wink as he did so. 

Fai shifted uncomfortably, allowing a tiny hint of a pink to paint over his cheeks as he looked up at Karen. Fai was playing the room, and she knew it, and she couldn't have been more proud.

Kurogane turned his attention back to Fai, though his eyes remained narrowed. He said nothing, but he kept his gaze even as his father talked.

"Anything that he deems to be a conflict, Mantarou." The older man shook his head before he turned back to Karen and smiled again. "So shall we discuss, now that we are all present?"

Karen smiled politely and nodded her head. "Yes, please. But let me start by thanking you for your generosity thus far. Truly gracious."

Fai's eyes flickered up to Kurogane's, large and innocent with a tiny knowing smile quirking up at the edge of his lips. Fai wasn't one to be intimated, he had faced far scarier things than a Yakuza princeling.

Shishio smiled a little. "Well, I've been scolded for that, so at least someone appreciates my benevolence."

Kurogane snorted a little and turned his gaze away from Fai to glance at his father before he looked back at the blond again. "As long as no one expects the same level of benevolence from me, now that I'm handling this, everything will be fine."

Mantarou leaned forward, elbows on the table. "And I don't get a say in none of this? What about my benevolence?" 

"Mantarou." Shishio gently patted his son's hand and spoke in soft Japanese. "Not now. Do not anger your brother any more than he is already angered. It was all I could do to keep him from cancelling this on you and sending you back home."

Kurogane shrugged a little and continued to look at Karen and Fai as if his brother didn't exist. "I'm sure you can appreciate the position we're in. We do have a business back home to run, and we do have employees and their families that must come first. Surely this won't be a problem?"

"Don't let us worry you. We did not come here to ask for any more than what was already given." Karen said. "I now worry that perhaps we have insulted you without our intention."

Fai looked up at Shishio those blue eyes filled with remorse. "If I'm still unsuitable, I'm sure there is a way we can work something out so that you can get a return on your donation to our church. But, if it's okay, may we contact you again if there's a better candidate?"

"Pops, Aniki..." There was a small resigned beg in Mantarou's voice. 

"No need for that." Shishio shook his head, but he kept his hand on Mantarou's and patted it again. "There has been no insult. Kurogane just takes his job very seriously, and he truly cares for everyone who works for us." 

Kurogane grunted and looked back at Fai again, keeping his gaze steady. 

Karen laughed softly behind her hand and smiled up at the senior member of their table. "I would say that is a sign of a well raised son. He obviously cares about his family and the business. You must be very proud."

Shishio beamed a little. "Thank you for the kind words." 

"I am merely being honest, Mr. Sumiyoshi. You have a two remarkable sons." Her eyes sparkled as they looked over at Mantarou. "A free spirit birthed a curiosity that has brought us here today." She nodded her thanks to him before looking back at Shishio. "I would be blind to see that, and I trust this child to your care, and I hope that he can be of use to you to fit your purpose, and the will of our Lord."

Fai stood up and bowed deeply at his waist, his hair falling forward. "I thank you for this opportunity, and I humbly enter myself into your charge."

"Then how soon can you be prepared to leave for Japan? I am anxious to get home." Shishio smiled a little. "I will have Kurogane make all of the arrangements, but the sooner the better."

"I do not have much. I can be ready at your convenience." Fai's eyes met Kurogane's for a second before looking back at the father.

"Excellent. Then I will leave it to him." Shishio stood and bowed before he turned to Mantarou. "Let us go prepare for our trip." 

Kurogane stood when his father did, but he continued to keep his gaze leveled on Fai.

Fai smiled, his glance dancing over Kurogane's face, and allowed Karen to complete any further formalities. The woman was very good at her job, and anything else would be handled without much input from him. He was only merchandise at this point, no matter what pretty words were pasted on to a contact, and from the way the foolish brother looked at him, Fai was sure he was going to have hands full while he was down there. None of that really bothered him, what did get to him was Kurogane. There were several times during breakfast he could have said something. It was obvious he could have ended this whole deal right then and there, but Kurogane wasn't stupid. Fai would give him that much.  If their plans didn't work out one way, they would just try another. Strategically Kurogane was doing the smart thing by doing nothing.

As everything settled up, and the parties left the tables, Fai felt a smirk on his lips. This just got a lot more interesting.

"You seem pleased with yourself."

"Hm?" Fai looked up at Karen as they stood in the entry way.

"You seem pleased with yourself. Not that I can blame you, you did a good job, and now you have your angle. That idiot would have jumped you right there if he could."

"You got that feeling too?" Fai laughed and tucked some hair behind his ear.

"Of course. The corruption of the innocent is one of the biggest turn-ons."

"I'm aware. You forget who my teachers were." Fai felt a touch of bitterness on his tongue before he shook his head.

“Fai, we do what we have to do in order to get the job done. You have the protection of your robes. To put it bluntly, you don’t have to have sex with him. However, lust blinds people, and if he can’t see that you’re there to investigate drug trafficking, all the better.” Her voice was soft and barely above a whisper.

"I'm going to walk back from here." Fai shook his head, as he hopped the step and out of the door.

Karen looked him over, concern contorting her face slightly before she nodded. "Very well. I'll call you when I know the details. Oh! Before I forget, be sure to stop by the office on your way. I have package that needs to be delivered to Japan."

"What, I'm a courier service now too?" Fai gave the woman and arched look.

"No no, it's a package for a special request. You need to take it to The Shop."

"Oh. OH!... oh?" Fai blinked in understanding. Every magician worth their salt knew 'The Shop'. Karen spoke of, if not personally than certainly by reputation. "Will do."

Fai shoved his hands into his pockets and turned to walk down the street, his head tilting up to the morning sun, letting its light shine down over his face before he stretched his arms above his head. 

Kurogane waited for his brother and his father to leave. He also waited for the fake nun and priest to make their exit before he walked out behind them, far enough to still see them in the distance, but not close enough to hear their conversation or be noticed.

So when he saw that Fai was alone, he walked right up behind him and leaned into whisper into the back of his ear. "You and I need to talk. Now." 

Fai closed his eyes and sighed with a puff of air. "Aa." He gave him a slide long glance and smiled. "I suppose we do."

Kurogane moved to step next to him, reaching up to loosen his own tie as he glanced at him out of the corner of his eye. "Where are you staying? Don't even bother to say the church because you and I both know that's not it.”

Fai made a point to check out his watch before he smiled up at him. "As of 11 o'clock. Nowhere." He started to move down the street, his arms folding behind his head as he walked beside the bigger Japanese man.

"And your things? Do you need to get them?" Kurogane kept watching him as they walked. "I'll get the car."

Fai shook his head. "No." 

"No? Then it'll be easiest to go back to my room hm? Don't want our conversation to get out do we?" He smirked.

"Kurochan," Fai looked over his shoulder at him, that closed eyed smile never leaving his face. "If you were me, would you get into a car with you, right now?" One eye slowly opened. "I hope you don't think me, that much of an idiot."

"If I were you, I wouldn't lie about being a priest after fucking someone so thoroughly a few days ago." Kurogane offered him that same smirk. "I don't think you have much of a choice right now, do you? Unless you want my father to know how many times you enjoyed me?"

"Yakuzasan," Fai's step didn't waver. "I will not be going anywhere with you.  You are in the heart of Rome, having a conversation in Japanese with a priest."

Fai leaned over a display at a flower vendor, his hand gently touching the petals of a lavender bush as he brought it up to his face and inhaled the sweet scent, smiling appreciatively.

"There is no place more secure than this. Or are you only used to doing your deals in shadows and under street lamps?" He kept his tone light even as he paid the weathered woman at the counter and continued on his way, the flowers still held in his hand.

“I do hope you will appreciate my position. Yes I did enjoy you, I enjoyed you very much. But a mistake is a mistake no matter how much I may have gotten out of it.”

"It was a mistake hm? Then I should definitely inform my father, since I'm such a dutiful son. I really should keep him informed of all the mistakes I make." Kurogane shrugged a little and looked at him. "And then my brother will be even more eager to throw you down and have his way with you. And given your reaction during the meeting, it would seem that you'd like that. Then you'd really have your mistake."

"Answer me one question, Kurosama." Fai stopped and looked up at the bigger man, his gaze managing to be level despite their difference in height. "What do you know of your brother's request?"

"Very little, which is why I'm especially pissed off about this whole thing. I'm not entirely sure my father knows. And so you have become my charge because my brother is an idiot, and he asks for things he cannot handle. And I have to clean up his mess every time. -That- is not a mess I want to clean up, so for your sake, you want to keep your deception a secret." Kurogane looked at him, completely unfazed by the look Fai was giving him.

"Think of me then, as an insurance policy.  A means of keeping a mess contained and for your safety I would leave it as that and try to stay out of my way." The blond smirked. "I'd hate for you to get hurt."

"Then it would be best if you stayed here in Italy. I'll cancel the contract." Kurogane shrugged.

"If only it would be that simple." Fai continued to walk with a slight skip to his step. "It won't be. I'm not going to try to fool you into any of this charade. I shot myself in the foot on that one, but believe me, you want me there." 

"If you want me to trust what you're saying, then you should do the same and listen to me." Kurogane shook his head as he walked next to him. "And believe me. You want me to keep your secret. My brother may seem like a harmless fool, but he has made so many destructive decisions, it's only because of me that he's even still alive, or that my family has not collapsed in on itself. You won't be spared if you let him do what he wants."

"You wouldn't let it come to that." Fai stated absently. "I want you to keep my secret, it would make my job easier. But don't think for a second your brother scares me."

"Don't be mistaken. I don't like him, but I will protect him if you force my hand. If you even think about harming anyone I care about, I won't be forgiving in the slightest. I've killed people for less."

"Admirable, Kurochan. But if you really care about your family. You'll want me there." Fai blinked a few times, his words trailing off as pace slowed to a complete stop. Ivory flesh became a shade or two paler as he turned his head down an ally way. It was a dark gap of old stone, unnaturally void of light. The man cursed under his breath. "Stay here." And Fai took off into the alley is form disappearing into the shadows.   

Kurogane was about to ask what he meant by that, since he'd been so vague, but then he gave that command and ran off. He was never good at listening to directives from people other than his father, and so he wasn't about to start. He took off after Fai, into that alley.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reference Song: 
> 
>  
> 
> [ The Pretender - Foo Fighters](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NBHS3FtQ20)
> 
> Please let us know how we did! Constructive Criticisms are always welcome! Or just say hi! We like people!


	6. This Probably Won't End Well

Fai turned down the alley. Before his eyes could adjust to the darkness of the narrow gap, instinct had already taken over. His other senses controlled his movements as he slammed his body up against a wall, hiding behind a dumpster, which from the smell of it, had been forgotten in the last cycle.

Sitting on the ground, he pressed his cheek against the wall to see through the space left between it and the metal bin. He closed one eye and narrowed the other to focus on a shadow looming at the dead end. As his vision acclimating, a creature took form. It's hulking figure back-dropped by brick walls and fire escapes.

It was as large and solid as demons come. The monstrous body sectioned off into three insectoid parts. The abdomen was round and thick, thinning down to a pointed stinger, which went from diameter of Fai’s waist to a needle fine point. It was flexible and moved with the agility of a pleased cat’s. Greyish green skin with a sickly sheen covered the form and was covered by patches of coarse greasy hair. Six legs jointed and bent down to the ground in inverted curves, and from the thorax sprouted similarly shaped arms. But they were bulked with sapien- like muscle structure, ending in five fingered hands, the familiarity of them making the shape all the more disturbing. Fai recognized the demon, and the blood ran from his face in much the same way he wished his legs he could take him out of this alley.

Awa-hon-do. A native North American demon. These demons were not like the one he fought in the swamplands. That was a new breed, something born of the minds of the modern world. The Awa-hon-do was ancient. The earliest Americans who came over from such places as Japan, Russia, and Thailand, the forefathers of Native American culture of whom all the tribes descended from, had created this.

“What,” Fai whispered as he watched the demon press down against the helpless form under him “are you doing here?” The mage felt the bile rise in the back of his throat. He not only stumbled upon this thing as it was miles from home, he came at feeding time.

The still twitching form of a man was laying below the Awa-hon-do. His eyes open, aware, and filled with a pain Fai could only imagine. He watched knowing it was too late to do anything as the mosquito like proboscis, already inserted into the man, flexed and moved with the incoming source of blood and living meat. Fai’s hand went to his mouth to cover his shaking breath and to hold his breakfast down.

Kurogane moved silently behind Fai, his eyes narrowing as he crept up and crouched when the other man crouched. He watched him press his face against the wall to look at something at the far end of the alley. Kurogane might be reckless, but he wasn't an idiot, and if this man was trying to stay out of sight, then he could do the same.

So he didn't see anything just yet, being behind the man, but he heard something: a soft rustling, a squelching. Whatever it was, it looked like it was making the other man sick, so he inched a little closer behind him, trying to see through that thin space between the dumpster and the wall. "What the fuck is that?" He whispered, his hand gently resting on Fai's shoulder so if his presence caused the man to jump, at least he wouldn't whack Kurogane's chin with his head.

Fai bit his lip against what was sure to be the very manly ‘eep’ that was about to come out of this throat at the touch of the other man. He turned his head away from the grotesque display and snarled in a low whisper. “The reason I told you to stay put.”

"I'm not very good at listening." He whispered, his hand still on his shoulder. "But that thing is fucking disgusting...Is it eating someone?"

“No, just giving it a deep tissue message. Of course it’s eating someone!” The hiss of Fai’s whisper made the sarcasm sound severe. He wasn’t startled that Kurogane could see the beast. It was an old creature. With age comes power, with power comes visibility. He was more impressed that Yakuza wasn’t pissing his pants at the sight of it. “Get out of here before it sees you.”

"And leave you here? No." Kurogane's hand squeezed Fai's shoulder just slightly, but enough to let the other man know that the snarky response wasn't appreciated. "Should I shoot it?"

“I’m not the one you should be worried about.” Fai’s eyes narrowed; the look gave his features a veteran sharpness and authority. “Your weapons would do nothing more than bounce off it. A thing like that? Humans don’t know how to fight a thing like that.” Fai felt his weight shift as the dumpster was suddenly pushed across the ally, crushing to half its size against the opposite wall.

With wide eyes, the mage regained his balance and cursed as he grabbed the oversized gangster and rolled off to one side, leaving five steaming sludge covered divots in the ground where the two of them once stood.

“It spits acid? Seirously?” Fai’s body was still curled over Kurogane as another ranged attack flew their way, only to hit a few feet above their bodies, the air around them igniting in rainbow iridescence. The gunge moving slowly down the side of the light as if were sliding off a glass bowl, leaving a trail of muck in its wake.

"What the fuck?" Kurogane's body moved with Fai, and he stared at the light that surrounded them. He had seen some weird shit in his life, especially as a child, but none of that ever tried to attack him like this before. It was usually just humans that did that.

“Now then, it is very rude to interrupt a person’s dinner. I’ve traveled a long way, and I’m famished. And you two have the nerve to disrupt my meal with your bickering?” The Awa-hon-do’s voice had a crystal like clarity and the tone of an old medicine man while it spoke to them calmly. Fai blinked and turned his head from Kurogane’s chest, muscles coiled like spring ready to as he watched the demon move closer to them. The mage's heart rate increased with each step it took. Jointed legs moving independently of the other. Behind it was left the now withered husk of it's dinner. o

“But I do see that you appear to have a few tricks. Well that is fascinating, however I do not care for tricks, and while I had originally decided to prolong our meeting, I suppose fate had other designs.” He waved one of his hands in the air, the gesture almost an apology. “So be it.”

“Um.” Fai blinked a few more times, obviously a bit thrown off.

“My you are a clever one. How much focus do you suppose you need to keep that shield running?” Mandibles moved and chittered as it spoke, and Fai couldn’t help be marvel at how its voice came out uninhibited.

“Still not much to say? Unfortunate…” The monster took a sharp inhalation of breath and from its mouth came a barrage of acid attacks.

Kurogane's eyes narrowed as the thing spoke, and as tempted as he was to say something, he thought better of it. Instead, he slid out from under Fai and turned to look at the monster, his eyes still narrowed as he looked up at the impending drops, and with a swift shove, he pushed Fai to one side as he flung himself to the other.

Fai’s back hit the alley wall with a surprised yelp before he shook his head clear and found Kurogane against the opposite wall with acid and steam rising up between them a strange sense of gratitude filled him but the moment didn’t last long as he turned his attention back to the demon.

“Ah! More tricks, you won’t make this easy will you? Humans, always preferring the chance to suffer than to die quietly. It’s aggravating.”

“You said you came a long way.” Fai spoke in a low steady voice. Since this one was a talker, maybe he could keep it talking. “For me? Why?”

“Why? Well, word gets around little mage. In America there’s not many of my kind left, and the new ones, well they’re little more than swaddled babes.” Four arms folded across a meaty chest, mandibles slick with drool and blood, foamed before dropping to the ground.

“Revenge then?” Fai moved his fingers, writing rapidly in the air with subtle moves, which looked like nothing more than hand nervously twitching.

“No, heavens no. I couldn’t care less, but you are a nuisance. One I was asked to get rid of.”

“By who!?” Fai turned to face him straight on, as blue light arched and crackled in his hand.

“Hmm, time for talking is over.” The demon lunged at the lean mage, and as he did, blue light engulfed the narrow space and five lances of power drove forward from Fai’s outstretched hand. Each spear hitting its target with deadly accuracy and forced the insectoid back several paces, pinning it to the ground like bug in an elementary display case. The image made Fai smirk.

Kurogane's back was pressed to the wall, his eyes locked on the demon. He could see the other man recover out of the corner of his eye, and as soon as the conversation started, he moved, inching bit by bit against the wall, his hand reaching into his blazer. His fingers moved over leather straps to the sheath where he kept a knife. Guns were fine, but in a situation like this, slicing something off was better.

He gripped the hilt and crept behind the oversized bug, watching it twitch against the light that kept it pinned to the ground. He scanned the creature, looking for the best place to hit, but with its size, there was only so much he could reach from his position. He moved, the knife arcing out and cutting through one of those legs at the joint, easily slicing through flesh and cartilage and coming out the other side.

“Wai-” Fai’s warning was cut off by his own startled admiration as he watched the Japanese man slice through one of those exoskeletal legs as if they were nothing but room temperature butter. He barely registered the monster’s pained screams as he watched the man daftly position himself on the other side, effectively causing the two of them to be flanking the beast. It was curious how such a man could harm any demon, much less one like the Awa-hon-do.

The sound of breaking glass shifted the mage’s attention away from Kurogane and back to the demon. The lances were breaking apart as it struggled in a rage filled pain, and he watched with building horror as the severed limb started to slowly reform. “Regen…” Fai mused aloud. If the creature could grow its appendages back, they would have no chance against this thing.

Fai shook his head. He wasn’t much of a defeatist, and he wasn’t going to start now. He looked around the area. The creature was off its native soil, it shouldn’t have this level of strength, which meant it had an anchor, a contracted person, nearby. Fai started to back away as another lance shattered apart, but his eyes were rapidly moving over the space. A sign posted on the broken dumpster caught his attention, ‘Eurostar’. A hotel? Fai’s eyes brightened up and he dashed across the alley way as he sent a force field up to slap the insect across the face, drawing it’s attention away from Kurogane to allow him a moment to get out of the corner he placed himself in.

“I hate to do this, but I gotta go! Why don’t you two play nice for a bit!” Fai kicked off the wall and gripped the bottom of the fire escape, then he pulled himself up on the landing before doing it again, curling and winding his way each ladder and flipping himself in the air with the ease of an Olympic gymnast. If Kurogane could hurt the creature that way, he could keep him busy a little while longer.

Kurogane snarled as he watched the leg start to regenerate, and he muttered several curses, but his anger at that thing was replaced as he watched the other man scramble up the fire escape like it was no big deal. "Son of a bitch." He cursed and looked at the creature before him, his eyes narrowing as he watched the thing's head move to follow Fai.

A distraction, right. Kurogane, in his own moment of agility, jumped onto the thing’s back and slammed his blade right into a spot just below the back of its head.

The creature screamed as the blade pierced the sensitive tendons holding the carapace together, and it whipped around as if to fling the man off him.

Kurogane held fast, one hand keeping the knife there, the other grabbing part of the hardened shell and holding on as the creature bucked and flung. With where Kurogane was placed, those insect arms couldn't reach him, and there was no way the stinger could bend back to get him. And as long as Kurogane kept twisting and shifting the blade in the creature, there was no way it could heal that wound either.

 

 

Fai took one last wary look over his shoulder before he pressed his body up against the wall and out of sight of the two below. He closed his eyes for a brief moment then opened them to see a world of spider web thin chains. They wrapped and folded around everything, covering the world in a soft glow of a multitude of colors. Every human life, every human experience was connected together. Waypoints, auras, life forces, threads of fate, whatever people wanted to call them, these chains were what bound souls together, what caused history to repeat and a million other things a wizard of Fai’s current caliber had no business messing in. A person could easily get lost in the chains, bound up and forgotten for the world to feast on later. This vision was knowledge, power, and connection, and he could access it for only brief second, but that was all he needed.

One chain, glowing crimson against the background of white, led straight up from the demon and into a window one story above him, and just like that the vision faded and Fai was back in a the dark void of reality. 

“Well, here goes.” With one more flip, he forced himself into the air and came back down to grip the edge of the fire escape and pushed his weight into his feet and through the window.

Glass and wood fell around him as he rolled into the room, sustaining only few cosmetic wounds across his legs and arms.

“Who?” A soft dull voice, in American English spoke from the bed.

“No one important.” Fai whispered as he stood up and looked at the young man who laid across the bed, his body so small, and skin sickly in its pale pallor. He was maybe sixteen? Seventeen? A child really, but at the same time not that much younger than Fai himself.

Fai looked about the room, it was nothing special, typical flare of a cheap hotel. A painting, a TV, a stiff bed, and a nightstand with an empty pill container. “You took them all?” Fai said, sitting at the edge of the bed. The boy looked like he could barely speak much less move. Fai felt his anger start to roll in his gut. A demon like that taking from something so frail. The strain of being a host would have killed him long ago without an aid.

“Rosa?”

The boy nodded once, sunken in cheeks all the more pronounced as the light shifted over his face.

“Why?”

“I was terminal about a year ago.” Talking took the boy a bit of effort and Fai managed to not wince with every word. “I’m already past my time. I’m borrowing. It said it would help me. I wasn’t ready then. I had a lot I wanted finish. ” Fai’s hand reached out, gentle and warm as he touched the boy’s clammy cheek.

“And now?”

“It was lies,” Milky brown eyes closed, seeking the comfort of Fai’s touch. “I knew then. But I wanted the chance.” Fai’s brows furrowed as his eyes filled with sympathy for the boy.

“And now?” He repeated softly.

“End it, please. He’s done such bad things. I just, I just wanted to live, but not like this.” Fai’s features hardened as he pulled a dagger from his sleeve.

“Alright.”

“Thank you.”

 

 

Outside, Kurogane snarled as the demon thrashed more than before, increasing its efforts to toss its rider. He held on, at least until the thing made a loud screaming sound and slammed its own body into the wall next to him.

Kurogane let out a loud string of curses as he yanked the knife out of the creature and leapt off its back just in time to avoid being splattered into the brick. He landed neatly on the ground in front of it, crouching a bit, knife ready in case he needed to make another run for its legs.

The Awa-hon-do cried out again, humiliation adding to its war cry, his body hefted itself up, his rear lifting into the air as he kept the Asian man focused on its legs. Its stinger lifted and darted down to his assailant’s neck.

Fai landed behind the yakuza, his dagger out and raised. The stinger sliding across its edge. Frost and steel sizzling as Fai forced its trajectory off Kurogane and into the ground where it landed with a crack Fai turned his head, his eyes sharp and hardened by his own silent rage. The air around them dropped several degrees as the mage’s breath started to come out visible puffs. Fresh blood splattered the mage’s hands and coated the steaming blade.

“Ah. I see.” The Awa-hon-do whispered. “I underestimated you both.”

Fai ignored the words and just whispered into Kurogane’s ear. “It won’t regenerate any more. Do what you can. I’ll take care of the rest.” His voice was the controlled leveled tone of a man forcibly keeping his own emotions at bay.

Kurogane felt the chill as soon as Fai landed and deflected that stinger. He was about to mutter some sort of thanks, or self-depreciation at not being as focused, but as soon as those words came to his ears, he just nodded and darted to the side again, this time he was the one to use the fire escape, grabbing the metal and using it to swing himself up and over the creature, landing to its side and swiping off another one of those hideous legs.

The Awa-hon-do scrambled away from Kurogane and charged right at Fai just as the mage dodged to the left, leaving a spike of solid ice to skewer into the more damaged side of the creature’s body.

The Awa-hon-do neglected the pain and took a long swipe at the mage, but Fai’s speed increased, and he tossed himself backward into a flip and pushed himself off the ground to land several meters his away. The force of the landing causing his feet to slide against the frost covered ground.

“You and your tricks, you killed my anchor. You were willing to sacrifice your partner.” Fai could feel the creature’s cruel smirk even if he couldn’t see it within the mandible filled maw. “You are an interesting human, heartless, and clever.” There was a small pause. “But not that clever.”

Before Fai could even speak the monster spun, and swooped his tail across the space between them, the full force of it sending Fai flying. His body causing a resounding crack that echoed through the alley as bone met brick. He fell back and landed in a heap of useless looking tissue and flesh.

The Awa-hon-do pushed past the Japanese man, choosing to focus its attack on only one of its human targets. It picked up the limp form the mage between two large hands, and then gave a very human sounding gasp as that blond head snapped up. Power arched over his body, crackling and entering into the demon. It couldn’t move, and it couldn’t let him go. When the Awa-hon-do met the stormy blue eyes of the mage, terror filled flashed through its own.

The alley was filled with a scream of rage as lightening streaked out from the broken body in its hands, striking every limb of the beast. The magic leaving cold fire to explode every where it touched. It melted through half of the remaining appendages of the creature while burning through most of the cloth that covered the mage.

Kurogane watched and felt a rage rolling inside of him that he had never felt before. The heat spreading through his body as he gripped the hilt of the dagger so tightly the small etchings could have been imprinted into his palm.

“Hateful child!” The Awa-hon-do screamed before unfurling its last weapon. The feeding tube moved faster than either the mage or the yakuza could blink, its sharp dagger like end stabbing straight through Fai’s slender body, forcing an animal like cry of pain from the blond's lips.

Everything went red then. His body seemed to move on its own as he ran at the creature with such speed, he could have just been a blur in the air. He leapt, the blade coming down through the top of the creature's head, and with a low growl, Kurogane yanked it forward so it split the thing's face in two.

It happened at once, the demon stumbled back, six eyes wide with confusion and pain. Recoiling its appendage from the mage’s body. Blood spilled from the two holes in the small body, falling to the ground in an audible splutter. Fai’s breath coming out in choked gurgled breaths, his hands lifting to vainly cover the hole in his chest before they dropped motionlessly to his sides. The temperature of the alley way suddenly snapped back to Rome’s humid warmth.

“No.. no… how? How have you…” The demon begged as it stumbled, black and green blood oozing and bubbling forward. In one last display of hatefilled defiance the demon met the yakuza’s eyes and tossed Fai’s body to the side with all its remaining strength, the limp form tumbling on the ground like a discarded rag doll dragging blood in streaks behind it.

Kurogane brought down his knife again, this time hoping to silence the stupid creature for good. When the body collapsed beneath him, twitching a few more times as the last bits of life left it. He grunted as he hopped to the ground, walking away from the limp insect and towards the man who had been skewered and left to die.

He walked through the blood and crouched at the man's side, looking at the burned and torn clothing, the black soaked with red, and he sighed a bit, reaching out to at least give the body some decency when it moved and shifted, his eyes widening at the tell-tale movement of breath. "The...fuck?"

“Did we win?” Came a horse reply to the other man’s curse. Thin shoulders strained and moved below what was left of black holy robes, blood forcing shredded fabric to stick uncomfortably to his skin as the mage forced his arms under him to push his body up. When Fai was able to focus his eyes he saw greasy puddle of remains slowly evaporating into nothing.

“Oh… goody…” He pushed himself on his back, using an arm to shield his eyes from midday sun as it filtered through the narrow passage.

Kurogane stared at the man, who had clearly been dead just moments before, his eyes widening as he moved as though he had only been punched in the gut and had the wind knocked out of him. "How the fuck?”

“Bad time to be confused, Kurorin.” Fai slowly started stand up, the motion stiff and filled with the echoes of pain. “We need to get away from here. Our friend was brought in to do a job.” Fai got to his feet, his hands bracing his own body against his legs. “I would rather not be here to see the look of failure on his boss’ face.”

Kurogane shook his head and pulled his blazer and shirt off, handing them both to Fai without a word, and leaving himself in just an undershirt and a hastily refastened sheath. He grabbed a torn piece of fabric that rested on the ground and wiped the ichor off his blade before sheathing it and waiting for the other man to gather himself and put the clothing on.

Fai nodded gratefully for the donation and slipped it on. “In light of our current circumstances, Yakuzachan I’m going to rethink my earlier opinion.” Slowly the blond straightened his back, his face still pale, his eyes still filled with pain. “We should head to your place. And fast.”

Kurogane nodded and crouched in front of Fai, looking over his shoulder. "Then don't argue and grab on. I can move faster than you seem able to right now."

"I won't argue." Fai wrapped his arms around the man's thick neck and allowed gravity to press his body against his back.

Kurogane hoisted him up as carefully as he could and walked to the hotel, saying nothing and ignoring the stares. It wasn't until he stopped in front of his room door that he set Fai down, letting him lean against him if he needed to as he opened the door.

When Kurogane set the man down there was a touch of hesitation for him to leave that supportive body heat. “Thanks for the lift.” He whispered, dismounting. He walked by him and into the room, as if what they went through was nothing more than exercise routine.

“Now.” He started as he leaned against the back of the couch hair still slicked by blood to his face. “I’m sure you have questions…”

"Gee, whatever gave you that idea?" Kurogane snorted as he shut the door and locked it. "Though I'd prefer if you didn't smear blood all over the furniture." He took his hand and pulled him towards the bathroom.

“Eh, oie!” Fai weakly struggled against Kurogane’s grip, but his large hand wrapped tightly about his wrist and Fai lacked the ability to fully pull himself away. “I’m alright. I can take care of this myself.”

"No. After everything that just happened, you're not going to push me away." He shut the door behind them and looked at him. "Take it off."

Wide blue eyes looked up and met the narrowed stare of Kurogane’s. “That’s not really-“ And he back stepped toward the door. “It’s not a group activity.”

Kurogane looked at him, a frown on his face. "We've already fucked, I just watched you die and not die. Either you can do it or I can do it."

Fai sighed with a click of his tongue before he turned around. “Alright, alright.” He rolled his eyes and took a side glance of Kurogane’s reflection in the mirror. “If it makes you happy.” He slowly shouldered out of the yakuza’s clothing, then peeled away what remained of the priest’s shirt. He would have to remind Karen to get him another.

“See? I’m fine.” Now down to only his briefs, Fai did a quick turn for him. His skin was caked with dried blood, but there appeared to be no wounds.

Kurogane reached out and touched the spot on his chest where he had been skewered. "I saw it go in..." He murmured and looked at him. "How did you do this?"

"Hey hey easy there. It’s," Fai turned his head away a little, a blush forming on his cheeks. "sensitive."

Kurogane's hand moved slowly over his flesh, and he still watched Fai's face. "I saw it..."

The blush darkened and Fai closed his eyes as he lifted his hand to show Kurogane the rings that adorned his fingers, and the matching black gold ear cuffs. The stones, as bright and vibrant as the mage’s own eyes, now had gems that were cracked, and one that was completely missing, appearing be nothing more than a black band. "Healing stones. I can't pick when or how they work, they have a mind of their own." He sighed and closed his fists

"A gift from my brother before he died."

"I'm sorry." Kurogane's voice had soften, and his mood seemed to shift, but he didn't pull his hand away. He kept it against Fai's chest and he leaned in a little. "But I'm glad you're not dead."

A dry laugh escaped Fai's lips as he opened his eyes and seemed startled by the other's proximity. "M-me too?"

"I would hope so. It would be weird if you weren't." Kurogane leaned in a little.

"Hey," Fai whispered with and audible swallow despite the fact that his throat had gone dry.

"What?" Kurogane paused in his leaning, but he made no move to pull back, and his hand started to slide down to his stomach.

"I'm filthy." The mage said as if that alone would explain everything and end the conversation, and everything else, right there.

"Hm. You are." Kurogane's other arm moved, and he reached behind Fai to open the shower door. "So am I. We should take care of that."

Fai turned his head and blinked behind himself then back at Kurogane. "I can do that on my own." His words lacked any level of conviction as he stepped into the shower with Kurogane's will alone pressing him back into it. He felt his desire stirring despite himself. "Besides, you still have clothes on, and so do I.”

"That's easily fixed." Kurogane pulled off his undershirt and pants, in just his underwear as he took another step forward, effectively blocking Fai in the shower. He smirked a little and reached for the waistband of his own underwear.

Fai's eyes followed Kurogane's, where the larger man's growing need was clearly visible. It made sense, given their circumstances. They were just in a high adrenaline situation. They were both still riding that high, and it had a habit making the mind, and the body want release. Often that release in a sexual nature, and neither one was a stranger to how compatible their bodies were. Unconsciously, Fai licked his lips. No one would blame him, right? If he didn't stop this? Questions were for later.

Kurogane tossed the fabric aside and stood there in front of Fai, fully nude and now fully aroused. "You don't seem to be objecting." He smirked and nodded at the other man's own obvious desire. "Do you want to finish undressing, or should I help you?"

Fai looked up at Kurogane, then behind him to the door then back at his face. He had no energy left to fight. Be that fight with another demon, Kurogane, or himself, and in a flood of relief, he gave in. "Help." He whispered softly as his hand lifted up to turn on the spray, water and blood mixing together as they ran down his body.

Kurogane reached out and gently pulled down Fai's underwear, helping him step out of it and tossing it into one of the sinks before he fully stepped into the shower and closed the glass door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reference Song: 
> 
>  
> 
> [ This Probably Won't End Well - All That Remains](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vzSJnDvrj3E)
> 
>  
> 
> Questions, comments, and positive criticisms are always welcome!


	7. Kiss Me Slowly

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Explicit

The shower was far longer than it was wide. When Kurogane stepped into the glass encasement, he took up most with the width, giving Fai little choice but to slip to the side, so he wasn't on top of him. "The soap, it’s behind you."

The bigger man reached behind himself and got the soap, but he smirked when he brought it around front and held it to him. "You want it?"

"Unless you want to do it." Fai arched an eyebrow at him as he opened his hand for him to hand the bottle over.

"I wouldn't have a problem rubbing soap all over you." Kurogane handed it to him and smirked.

"I doubt you would." Fai laughed with a shake of his head and started to clean the grime and blood from his body.

The day came off him in languid swipes as he dragged the cloth over his body. With each movement of his hand, it felt as though he were getting lighter. He closed his eyes and enjoyed the feeling, and for a brief moment didn’t even think of the child he killed. He didn’t think of the monsters in the world that took advantage of similar situations. He didn’t think of endless cycle of violence his life had become since the death of his brother. He didn’t think of anything other than the spray. It rained down on him in warm streams, and cleansed him. When he was done, there wasn’t a trace of the fight left on his body and his skin returned to that unmarred ivory flesh. His eyes flickered up to Kurogane, noting how the man watched him.

Kurogane reached out and let his hand move over Fai's skin as he wiped it clean. "I don't think you'd mind so much either."

Fai smiled. “And yet,” Over his shoulder, his lips grew into a smirk. Looking inviting as they hovered over the lone mole on his shoulder. It was dark and made all the more obvious by the fact that it was uniquely visible on otherwise perfect skin. "Here I am. Touching myself."

"Well, you could have asked." Kurogane's hands slid over Fai's back and down to his hips, holding them as he leaned in so his chest and the other man’s back were touching. "Perhaps you want something more than just touching?"

Fai gasped. His new flesh was sensitive to touch, and it made his body writhe for a little more and rid the young man of any chance to escape the situation. His eyes glittered wolfishly up to Kurogane's. "What would that be? No sense in being coy now, is there?"

"Sometimes being coy is fun." The larger man smirked and pressed himself against the smaller man's backside. "And you know damn well what I'm talking about because you're thinking about it." One of his hands slid around his hip and down to touch his most sensitive flesh. "Aren't you?"

"Nnm." Fai purred softly, accenting it with a whimper. "Thinking about it since the last time." Fai moved his body, purposely rubbing up against Kurogane's sex. "Just like you’ve been. I see it in the way your eyes watch me." Long slender fingers pushed up and into black hair. They gripped the locks tightly and pulled the man down to the mage's lips, crushing them against his as he used the length of his body to tease the heat against his back.

Kurogane let Fai kiss him, smirking a bit into it at the way his body moved in order to entice him more. So he took it up a notch and curled his hand around the blond's heat, moving it slowly.

Fai broke away only to moan Kurogane’s name against his lips, and as he did, he started to shift his own body. Each movement controlled and practiced. However, the slow torture of that the yakuza’s touch was inflicting on his skin started to take effect on Fai. Building pleasure and exhaustion mixed together in his veins and caused his legs to tremble and his voice to hitch.

"Kurosama." The young mage whispered against his lips. "I can't stand anymore." He added the subtlety of a plea into his voice. Men like Kurogane wanted to feel in control, wanted to feel like they could ravage and protect their lover at the same time. A gentle urging or a soft beg would make them feel needed and allow the ‘white knight’ to ride right into his hands.

"No?" Kurogane murmured. "Then you shouldn't stand." He let go of him then, but only to sink to the floor of the shower, sitting and pulling Fai to sit on his lap, his back still against Kurogane's chest as he nuzzled the blond hair. "Is this better?

"Much." Came Fai’s pleased murmur. He laid his head back on one shoulder. His eyes watching Kurogane's face as he slid his hand over his cheek.

"Good." Kurogane's hand resumed its motion from before, but his other came up and gently slid up his chest, fingers brushing over his neck as he turned his head and kissed his jaw*

"Ah." Fai's eyes drifted shut and hips moved a little more as sensation filled him, his other hand reaching back to grip at Kurogane's arm, then side. His fingers kneading in pace with the motion of his hips, urging him to continue.

And he did continue, his lips moving to his neck as his hand continued its motion. His eyes closed and he pressed his hips forward a bit, rubbing himself against Fai's backside.

Fai moaned, it was all he could do to keep himself from crying out for the larger man to just fuck him already. Instead he moved his hips faster, his lips slacking as his tongue came out to lick away the water spraying on Kurogane’s neck up to his ear. He wanted this slow, he wanted to savor this sensation, but it all felt too damn good.

"Is it too much?" Kurogane whispered as his lips moved back along Fai's jaw. He slid his hand back down his chest and side, gripping his hip as the other one moved to stroke him just a little faster.

He was being held steady, protected even now, and despite himself, Fai was aware of at least that. No one he'd ever been with had managed to make him feel this good this easily. "Ah!" He mewled, continuing to suck at Kurogane's ear and accidentally nipping it when the man's hand got faster and more intense.

"I.. AH! W..wai! AH!" The white hot fire of pleasure blinded the mage as he came, his shoulders pushing violently back into Kurogane's chest as his hips lifted his body up from his thighs.

"Tch." The little bite to his ear caused Kurogane to make the sound, but it didn't really hurt. And it only added to the satisfaction he felt making Fai orgasm so quickly.

That comparatively small frame slumped back against Kurogane, lungs laboring to catch his breath. His eyes were dazed and unfocused for a moment before they turned up to the gangster's face, still dark, still pleading for something more.

Kurogane grinned at him and just held him in his lap, letting him take as long as he needed to catch his breath.

When Fai felt like he could move again he leaned his body up, and nuzzled the strong jaw of larger man. Lips and teeth nibbling gently at the flesh as his lower body began to writhe against the still hard and hot part of Kurogane's desire.

He groaned and allowed Fai to move as he pleased, his hands resting on his hips, but not really doing much else other than touching him.

"What do you want?" Fai whispered against the ear he assaulted just moments before. "What do you want me to do?"

"I want you. That should be obvious..." Kurogane whispered and rubbed his hips a little. "So do whatever you feel necessary to make that happen."

Fai chuckled softly, his voice echoing like summer chimes off the bathroom walls. "Okay." In their current position, Fai knew his legs were too weak to make use of his body. He carefully, and not without a bit of regret, moved away from the man, turning his body around and laying back on the shower floor. Long slender legs spread to either side of Kurogane's wide body and cradled him as they moved against his waist.

Kurogane was actually somewhat surprised by that. The shower was pretty long, but he didn't think it was long enough for that. He looked down at him and rested one hand on Fai's leg, sliding it up his thigh. "This won't be uncomfortable?"

"Can you think of a better idea?" Fai watched as that calloused hand touched the smooth flesh of his thigh and he offered a little note of pleasure for it. "I'm perfectly comfortable."

"Probably not. I can't think of much else right now." Kurogane leaned over him and took his mouth in a heated kiss, rubbing himself against Fai's thigh.

"Then don't think." Fai moved his leg purposely against him while his arms wrapped securely around his back. "Ready me." Lust giving Fai's voice a needy rasp.

Kurogane grunted and slid his hand down underneath Fai so he could ready him. He leaned down and crushed the other man's lips with his own once more.

Fai moaned as he felt the other man push his fingers into him, breaking the kiss and holding himself up against him for as long as his weary body would allow. He wanted to just lay back in the tile floor and bask in the sensation of the water splashing around him and of Kurogane exploring his body, but a faint voice stopped him from sinking completely into indulgence. It was a voice attached to a lingering memory of his youth.

_“Never allow your partner anything more than the illusion of control.” A hand gripped his hip forcing him to move, despite how much they ached. “The moment you give in, you lose power over them.”_

“Nn!” Fai eyes snapped opened and he gasped. Lifting his hips, he strained his back up from the ground to push urgently down on the gangsters intruding fingers.

"Don't push yourself." Kurogane gently rested his other hand on Fai's hips and pushed him to lay back down against the tiles. "I'm not going to hurt you." He whispered as he leaned down and kissed his jaw, his other hand moving slowly, those fingers much more gentle than should have been possible with a man of his size.

Fai’s eyes drifted partly closed as he felt Kurogane’s gentle touch and voice. Uncertainty shone behind the lust, and a fight against trust and instinct caused his body to tense up to the point where those fingers almost hurt inside of him. He let out a whimper, his hand slipping from one of those broad shoulders and over his mouth in a vain attempt to muffle himself.

Kurogane shook his head and moved his hand away from his mouth, kissing him soundly, but not harshly, his fingers slowing as if it would ease the pressure.

Fai mewled his pleasure as his body melted into the kiss, his mind wiping blank of anything but the man over him. Tension released and his hips rested against the bottom of the shower as his legs opened up to rest against the glass walls.

When Kurogane saw Fai's body relax, he pulled up a little so he could watch his face as he finished readying him for what was coming next. His hand continued to hold the one Fai had against his mouth moments before, threading his bigger fingers through the other man's smaller ones. "That's it..." He whispered and leaned down to kiss him again. "Just relax."

The mage breathed shakily but nodded his head. This was different from last time. This wasn’t just a series of quick, hard fucks, this was more than that. Fai squeezed the hand that held his, his blush darkening as his heart started the thud louder in his ears. There was emotion, and gentleness in Kurogane’s actions. There was also a level of consideration for Fai that the young man wasn’t accustomed to, and it scared him.

Something inside Kurogane told him to take much more care this time than the one before. That had been passion and heat. This felt like it needed to be something else. He smiled a little down at the other man when he squeezed his hand, and he slowly pulled his fingers out. "Stop me if you need to, okay?" He used his now free hand to help position himself, nudging Fai's hips up just enough for him to line up. "If there's anything you want from me, just tell me." And he pushed himself inside as carefully as he could have possibly managed.

Fai’s head tilted back and his toes curled up as he felt the larger man push himself gently into him. His heat becoming their heat. “I-it’s okay.” Fai managed to whisper as his wrapped his other arm back around Kurogane’s shoulders. “I won’t break. You don’t have to strain yourself either.”

"I know you won't break. We proved that the other night." Kurogane moved his hips, his eyes darkening. "But that doesn't mean I'm straining myself." He kept a steady pace, holding Fai's hip to keep their movements synchronized considering the slightly awkward feel of doing it on the shower floor.

Moans started to echo and mingle together off the bathroom walls. Fai’s hips finding their rhythm and moving at the gentle pace Kurogane had set. Heat and desire started to roll together into a molten concoction in the mage’s stomach, and he turned his head to one side, his tongue wetting his lips as his moans became louder. The warm water feeling ice cold by comparison, splashed against his heated and pleasure flushed flesh. Those slender hips bucked up just a bit, urging the man.

Kurogane grunted a little when Fai's hips moved, and he increased the pacing just enough to meet their needs without making it the same as the lust-filled rush that was their first meeting. He groaned a bit and shifted himself against the tiles so he could push his body in a way that was more in tune with the other man.

“Ah! K..urorin!” The name fell drunkenly from the man’s kissed bruised lips as their bodies found their stride. Fai couldn’t feel the burn in his hips or thighs any more, he couldn’t feel the hard floor against his back, he couldn’t feel anything but the man above and inside of him. The world becoming distant besides the two of them.

From somewhere far away Fai could feel a gentle summer breeze against his skin, and a chime in the distance. He heard the cicada buzzing loudly and filling the small space with their warning of the season’s turn. Fai moaned his lover’s name as his long limbs wrapped around the larger body, and he playfully tightened himself around Kurogane’s sex as it pushed feverishly inside of him. “Ah! Oh!” Languid melted sounds of pleasure spilled uninhibited from his mouth, both demanding and begging at the same time. Spikes of flame hot heat threatening to push him over the limit, as the other man pushed in again and again until Fai cried out one last time.

“Kurogane!”

Something about his name being shouted like that, something about those long legs wrapping around him and pulling him in for more was enough to drive Kurogane crazy. He grunted again, his fingers digging a little into the flesh of Fai's hip, though not hard enough to bruise. His hips moved as of to answer each one of those little cries that came from the other man's lips. Nothing had ever driven him to this before, and he was sure in that moment, that there was no one else who could do it aside from the blond that arched below him.

“Kurosama..” Came that small plea one more time. “Do it.”

It was as though the permission is what he needed, Kurogane's hips bucked one more time as he came over that edge. He looked down at Fai as his body settled down, and he carefully removed himself from the other man without really pulling away from him.

“Nn.” The mage purred as Kurogane left him empty. Slowly the world came back into focus the younger man. He was aware of the tile under his body, the spray from the shower against his skin, and he no longer heard the summer chimes. Instead he heard the sound of their labored breathing, and the gentle splash of his arm slipping from Kurogane’s shoulders and into the water above his head as his body went limp, trembling only as the aftershocks road through his nerves, leaving him to almost moan at each jolt before his whole body settled back into the water again.

Kurogane almost fell against Fai as he caught his breath, but he managed to hold himself up enough to keep from crushing his partner. He looked down at him, his eyes focused on Fai's face. He brought their entwined hands up to his lips and kissed over the other man's knuckles, red eyes never straying from those blue ones.

Lazily, Fai focused up on Kurogane. He didn’t say anything, only untwined his fingers so he could cup one of his cheeks in his palm, his thumb brushing away some water under his eye while his fingers gently twisted into the black locks at his temple. “The water’s gone cold.” He whispered softly even though Kurogane’s frame was blocking most the spray from hitting Fai.

Kurogane's eyes started to close as those fingers moved over his face and into his hair. His lips parted just slightly, as if a moan would escape, but instead he whispered, "then we should move." He remained hovering over Fai just a moment longer before he pushed himself up, causing Fai's hand to fall from his hair. He turned the water off, the last few drops splashing against his back. He lowered his hands down to Fai and waited for him to take them so he could pull him up.

Fai reached for his hand, feeling like he weighed nothing more than a feather as the larger man hoisted him up. The unexpected shift causing Fai to fall forward a little and into Kurogane’s chest, his cheek against the hard muscles, his hand against his stomach to brace himself.

"Be careful." Kurogane whispered into the blond hair just below his chin. He wrapped his arms around Fai, holding him there for a moment before he carefully let him go as if satisfied the other man was now steady on his feet.

“A-aa.” Fai whispered and blushed as he righted himself, his head turning to the side to hide his burning cheeks before he stepped out ahead of the other and tossed a towel playfully at his face in order to break the heavy atmosphere between them. “Dry off, don’t get the bed wet.” He joked as he ruffled the towel through his hair.

Kurogane caught the towel with one hand and wiped himself off as he stepped out of the shower behind him. "Well, we wouldn't want that." He smirked and stepped around Fai, rubbing the towel against his head, making sure the other man got a nice long look at his naked back.

“No. We wouldn’t.” Fai smiled as he took in the view Kurogane provided him. Taut muscle moving under caramelized skin. Scars here and there, a few fresh bruises from today marring the flesh but not taking away from the appeal. He felt the heat start to build inside, but he held it down knowing his body and mind couldn’t handle another go. So instead he threw on a hotel robe and walked by him, planting a chaste kiss to his shoulder as he did so, then crawled into the bed.

As he settled in Fai felt every joint and muscle catch fire all at once as he relaxed it all into the overly soft mattress. “Why would want to ruin something that feels this good.” He sighed out, his head nuzzling the pillow.

"You like my bed that much hm?" Kurogane arched a brow, but drawing from Fai's subtle cue about everything being done for the night, he walked to his suitcase and pulled on a clean pair of boxer-briefs. He tossed the towel to the side and slowly got onto the bed next to the other man. He figured he must have been sore as all hell from both the fight in the alley and their little romp in the shower, so he didn't want to do anything to make it worse.

"Yeah. The hotel I was at was like sleeping on a cot." Fai closed his eyes and gave Kurogane a dreamy little smile. "This feels like a marshmallow."

"Well, I'm glad there's at least one thing here that you like."

One blue eye quirked open. "Jealous?"

"Perhaps." He grinned a little and leaned a little closer. "Perhaps not."

"Well it would be silly to be jealous of a bed." A smile twitched at the corner of Fai's lips. "You don't strike me as the silly type."

"I'm not the silly type. Besides, I know this bed can't make you feel the way I just did." The grin widened.

Fai blushed but laughed, his head going back against the pillow as his put a hand to his forehead. "I can't believe you." There was no contempt in his voice, just affection and amusement. He couldn't remember the last time he laughed like that.

"No? Did it make you that delirious?" Kurogane settled down next to him and watched him laugh, his grin fading into a soft smile. He was willing to bet it was rare for Fai to relax this much, let alone around someone else. "So I'm better than I thought."

Fai looked up at the other man, smiling still. "Yeah, you certainly make me 'something'. What that is I don't know yet, but." He reached his hand lifted up the fluff through Kurogane’s hair as he leaned up to plant a kiss in the center of his forehead. "I don't think it's all bad." He sat back again, sinking into the pillows his eyes sparkling with a form of life that wasn’t there before.

"None of that should have been bad." Kurogane shifted and half leaned over him, but kept all his weight on his arms. "If any of it was bad, I'm going to have to do something to restore my reputation. And I'm not sure you can handle that right now."

"I'll agree with you there." Fai whispered, his eyes closing and he let out a long relaxed breath. "Even if I wanted to, I don't think I could hold up against another go. I did almost die today, after all. That takes a lot out of a person, healing or no, it frickin’ hurts!" His lip protruded out in a tiny pout. "I don't recommend it."

"Does it still hurt?" All joking aside now, Kurogane's expression was one of complete concern.

"Hurt?" Fai opened his eyes again and looked up at him before shaking his head. "No. It doesn't hurt. Just don't want to repeat that any time soon." Fai would spare the man the details of what it felt like to have your body smashed against a wall, then skewered through by an oversized misquote. No one really wanted to know what that felt like, and he didn't feel like reliving it.

"Fair enough." Kurogane moved himself and laid down next to him, closing his eyes. "As long as you don't hurt now."

"I've lived through worse." Fai said. "Not much worse, but worse."

"Well, hopefully that never happens again."

A dry laugh escaped the mage as if he was even unaware that he even made the sound. "We'll see..." Fai turned his head to the yakuza. "This is type of stuff your brother is tampering with. This is why you want me in Japan."

"Well, then let him get skewered by some gross bug monster." Kurogane snorted and opened one eye to look at him. "If he's playing with fire, he needs to be burned, or he won't stop. And that's why you want me with you in Japan."

Fai shook his head. "The difference between the rest of you and me, is that I'm still alive after something like that. Humans don’t live through that kind of encounter.” Fai eyed the other man carefully. “Outside of an occasional fluke. Your brother won't just get burned, Kurosama. He'll be strung out and left for dead.” He let the air swell between them. "That is if this is what he's actually up to. If not, then I get use your house as a home base and investigate some other baddies." That long body stretched, arms above his head before he relaxed back down. "Or I get to take an extended vacation."

"Well, I can't say he wouldn't deserve it..." Kurogane muttered, but then he sighed and shook his head slightly. "All the more reason for you to stay close to me."

"You'll die too. If you get messed up in all of this. I can't protect you."

"And if you want any sort of freedom from my brother, you'll need me to protect you. You might be able to handle those...things, but I can handle the people."

Haunted eyes focused up at Kurogane, a short life time of memories playing past them. "Then, do what you can to keep those you care about safe."

"Then trust me." Kurogane looked at him evenly.

With those words Fai turned his head away from the other man, a smile on his lips never reaching his eyes. "You are developing a habit of asking me to do the impossible. I don't even trust myself.”

Kurogane moved and wrapped an arm around the other man and pulled him against his chest, his lips coming to rest in his hair as he whispered. "You'll learn. It's not impossible."

"You belong on a motivational poster, you know that?" Agitation spiked the mage's words but he sighed and sank into his arms, even if the man's harder muscles weren't as comfortable as the soft pillows he was taken from. "You're wrapped up in this. What will you do, if you have to fight me?"

"Then I'll figure out a way to convince you that we don't have to fight each other." Kurogane held him and closes his eyes, nuzzling into his hair. "Worry about that shit when and if it happens. Don't worry about if it will happen. It's not happening now."

Fai eyed one of the pillows longingly but sighed and nuzzled into Kurogane's embrace. "For your sake, I hope that's possible."

"Well, don't think about it and just focus on the fact that you probably want to yell at me because I'm not as soft as the bed."

"You aren't, it wouldn't kill you to gain some body fat."

"Now you're asking the impossible."

"Have a cheeseburger. Drink some beer. Take a week off from the gym." Fai looked up at the man, his chin resting on his chest as he stared up at his face, and noticed that Kurogane had enviously long eyelashes as well as a nose that turned up ever so slightly. It was kind of cute and a real smile curved his lips.

"I drink booze more than water, and I never go to the gym." Kurogane's nose wrinkled a little. "Besides, you wouldn't be as turned on by me if I got any softer."

"Is that so?" Fai smirked. "What makes you say that?"

"Well, you sure as hell liked me hard in the shower." He grinned.

Fai blinked then flushed ducking his face into his shoulder. "Ass."

"You liked looking at that, too."

"True." Fai lifted his head after a moment. "But there are other things that attract me." Fai smirked as he lifted his hand to boop the other's nose. "This cute little nose, those slightly bigger ears, the adorable cowlicks in your hair."

Kurogane's eyes opened and he looked up at him. "What did you just say?"

Fai's smirk widened into a grin. "Oh you heard me, Kurochan. You're adorable, like a puppy or fluffy dog." His eyes sparkled with his mirth as he sat up just a little. "Kurowanwan!" As that nickname came forth Fai felt something warm inside of him pop and fizzle to the surface as a soda kept under too much pressure, and his laughter causing tears welled in those eyes.

Kurogane snorted, pulled him back down, and held him closer and as he spoke, he half grumbled the words. "I'd hit you if I wasn't holding you like this, asshole. Don't call me adorable or compare me to a dog again." But there was no real heat in his words, and his hold was light. Fai could easily break free if he wanted. But Kurogane doubted he wanted to, and while he was verbally protesting, he really couldn't be mad when Fai laughed like that.

"But it's perfect!" Fai's laughter slowly started to die down into little chuckles, but the tears remained, forcing the blond to wipe them away with the back of his hand.

Kurogane continued to hold him and grumble unintelligible words.

After a long second so the mage could catch his breath, Fai looked up at his partner and smiled softly. Eyes dried but dazzling in the afternoon light. "Thank you."

"Don't thank me for you making fun of me..."

Fai shook his head and laid it back down on Kurogane's chest, a soft sigh coming from his lips. "Thank you." He whispered again, his arms tightening around the larger man.

"Aa." Kurogane continued to hold him, but he said nothing else, letting the smaller man relax against his chest.

And he did, Fai settled against the bigger man, his eyes closing, and soon the weight of the day dragged the tired body of the mage into the depths of sleep.

When Kurogane felt Fai's body relax, and he heard the way his breathing changed as he fell into sleep, he let himself relax a little too, but he didn't pull his arms from around the man.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reference Song: 
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> [ Kiss Me Slowly - Parachute](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F7RbBB-lT5o)
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> Questions, comments, and positive criticisms are always welcome!


	8. Interlude II

Kurogane leaned against the gate just outside of his home. His head bowed a little and he grunted through gritted teeth as pain surged in his shoulder, like dozens of knives hacking at his flesh. His eyes clenched shut, and he did his best to regulate his breathing as the muscles spasmed. When it passed, he straightened himself and walked through the gate, taking slow steps across the pathway that led to the main door. Each step caused another shooting pain through his shoulder and neck, but he pushed through it. He's had worse. 

Another grunt escaped his lips as he kicked off his sandals before he walked into the house. He stopped just inside the door and listened. The house was pretty much silent. Umeko must have been asleep, otherwise he would have heard Fai playing with their adopted daughter. There was no shuffling of footsteps either, which meant Fai was either working on something and lost in it or completely asleep. Either way, Kurogane would most likely find him in the bedroom. So he walked slowly down the outside hallway, biting the inside of his cheek to keep from making any noise. When he arrived outside the bedroom, he stopped and leaned against the wood of the door to grit through another spasm. 

When it passed, he used his foot to slowly slide the door open. The pain was more constant now, but there was another spasm, and he grunted. He couldn't keep his body from doubling over, falling to his knees, his hand letting go of the fake arm, which fell to the tatami with a soft thud. "Fuck." He muttered and clenched his fist and used that to keep himself from fully falling to the floor.

The lean visage of the blond mage jumped, his head darting up from the scattered piles of scrolls. “Kurosama?” Something incredulous filled Fai’s voice before the was able to take in the scene of the doubled over ninja, and real concern contorted gentle features into an expression of worry. He stood up in one smooth motion, an open scroll falling from his lap to the floor, and he was at the ninja’s side. Long sender arms belying actual strength as he half dragged Kurogane to the futon. “What happened?”

Kurogane snorted a little as he was dragged, but he was in no condition to fight it. The artificial arm was crushed about halfway down his bicep, metal and wires curled uselessly while the rest of the arm rested on the floor by the door. It had just been a simple job. The storm was rolling in, and he just needed to go help secure some of the shutters on the outer buildings of the palace. He was supposed to have time before the winds kicked up. But the winds started much earlier than the sky indicated, and it was either his arm or the young servant helping him.

"Tree." He managed, closing his eyes tightly as another spasm happened. Blood was starting to soak through the haori around his shoulders. 

“Tree?” He didn’t wait for a further response as his eyes flickered from Kurogane’s shoulder, to a hunk of scrap metal by the door way. The cybernetic arm laid mangled and twisted in a grotesque fray work of metal, synthetic flesh, and blood. It was obvious the appendage had been jerked and twisted off above the elbow. That isn’t to speak for the part that was still connected to the ninja. Oil leaked like blood to the floor, as hydraulics hissed and moved, still receiving messages for the man’s nervous system and unable to figure out that the rest of the arm had gone missing.

“Gods.” He whispered before he shook his head and looked at the ninja’s face. “You’re an idiot.” His voice was flat as he tore open the rest of the battered tunic.

Seeing his flesh, Fai all but cursed as blood seeped through from the connective joints on Kurogane’s shoulder. Flesh and muscle had been torn and stretched where the force was most felt by the sudden pull of the tree against his arm. Blood, oil, and miscellaneous liquids joined together to make sickly brown ichor. Apt fingers moved to press the releases and with a quick click followed by the smell of blood and burnt flesh, the remains of the arm fell to the floor. Fai kicked it aside and turned Kurogane roughly on his side. 

“Stay still.” The Fai said, his voice commanding. He reached for a bottle of sake removing the cork with his teeth and splashed it over the wound. He could have gotten a better antiseptic, but Fai wasn’t going to waste any more time. He needed to see what he was dealing with. 

"It was either my arm...or the kid." Kurogane practically growled as Fai removed the arm and moved him roughly. The noise was strangled by the howl of pain that shot through his wound when the sake seeped into it. 

Fai didn’t reply as he continued his work, removing broken bits of metal from the connections that stood out from the man’s flesh. Cold fingers moved the lock straps, and tested the areas for any further stress or punctures. When there was so much technology working close the fragile human body, one could never be too careful. Blood can be easily infected, and with the wound being close to Kurogane’s heart, there would be no time to get him to Tomyo-hime if his blood was poisoned. 

Time slowed, and Fai felt the tension of his body relax. The connections were clean, and he allowed himself to finally see the man, instead of the wound. Kurogane’s water slicked hair, which was just starting to become salted with white, stuck to his pain creased brow. He was pale, and chilled from the rain. Around his red eyes, tiny crow’s feet wrinkled with each wince. 

“Kurosama…” Fai whispered as he touched the edge of his hair, pushing it from those eyes. “How was the boy?”

"Not crushed." He managed, looking up at Fai now that he was done poking and prodding him. He frowned up at him, though he winced as though even the muscles in his face caused pain in his shoulder. "I'm bleeding out though."

“You’ll live.” Fai whispered softly. “Hold on.” The mage got up and walked to the far corner of their room. He pulled out a bowl filled with bandages and a salve Fai made himself. It had a numbing agent, a colligation agent, and an antiseptic solution. It never smelled the greatest, but he kept fresh batches on hand just in case. 

He set the bandages and salve down beside Kurogane and stepped outside to the garden where he got water from a pump, uncaring of the rain pounding down around him, remaining untouched by it as he came back to the other’s side. “Can you sit up?” 

Kurogane answered by groaning as he pushed himself to sit up, leaning heavily on his one arm. "All of this shit is ruined..."

“It can be washed.” Fai said as he looked down at the bowl of water as it steamed, despite never sitting close to a fire. 

“Hold still.” He gently started to wash the area before slicking the first salve coated bandage on the wound, unmindful of the blood coating his fingers as he wiped some sweat from his brow. “The bedding is not important. We can always get more. There’s only one of you."

He hissed as the salve touched his wound, but he kept himself as still as he could considering he only had one arm to lean on. "It wasn't supposed to happen..." He mumbled a little and closed his eyes. "The wind kicked up suddenly, and I just moved."

“That’s why they’re called accidents, Kurochan.” Fai finished the second set of bandages and smoothed it down with his fingers as he sighed. “A close call, almost done in by the rain.” While his words were in jest, Fai found it very hard to force the sentiment into his eyes.

"I wasn't in the rain long. I came here as soon as I was sure the kid was okay." Kurogane sighed and looked at him. 

"I know." Fai whispered. "It can't be helped." He blinked down at the blood on his hands and started to wash it away in the warm water of the basin, even as they started to shake. "You should start being more careful. You…” Fai hesitated, trying to pick his words. “I've noticed for a while now; you don't recover as quickly as you once did."

Kurogane shook his head and closed his eyes. "I know..." He didn't want to admit it, but with what happened tonight, there was no way to ignore it now. "I'm resigning tomorrow."

Fai's eyes darted up to him. "Eh?"

"I have one arm." Kurogane kept himself propped up as he looked over at Fai. "I'm no good like this. Even if I get another one, there's no guarantee I'll be any good."

"You'll be miserable." Fai lifted his hand to gently push against Kurogane's chest, urging him lay down. “You should take the night to think this over. Make sure resignation is something you really want. Don't think about me or Umeko.” Fai could read man’s thoughts as if he had spoken them. “If it was just you?" 

 

"If it was just me, I'd be dead by now." Kurogane shook his head. "At this point, my decisions are entirely based on you and Umeko." He sighed and tried to straighten up a bit. "Please don't tell me not to think of you."

Fai moved his lips to speak, but thunder crashed splitting the air and sending a shake throughout their house, which was quickly accompanied by the soft frighten cry of a child. "I'll be right back." Fai stood up and left the room. When he appeared a little later he had a small bundle in his arms. Umeko was small, even for a two year-old, with a mop of unruly black hair, which was made even more so by the appearance of tiny black curls. She clung to the blond, sniffling softly as Fai murmured soft soothing nonsense into her ear.

Umeko hadn't been with them very long, but it was a wonder to Fai how they ever planned to live without her. Since the day he found her in that war torn village, still clutched to her mother's corpse, Fai's heart instantly belonged to that pitiful whimpering child. Orphaned and left to die Fai didn't even think twice before bringing her home. 

Fai sat down beside Kurogane. "See, Papa's right there. Nothing to be afraid of."

"Chichiue." Bright tear filled eyes looked over to the big ninja, and a chubby hand reached out for him.

Kurogane knew what was coming, and he steeled himself for it. There was no way he could reach out for the child with his one arm propping him up the way it was, shaking a little as it started to grow tired of holding up the weight. And though he wanted to reach out to her, he had to bow his head to keep her from seeing the pain that crossed his face. 

"I'm sorry."

Fai took that hand and brought it back, kissing the back of it as he smiled down at the child. "Chichiue needs to clean up before he can hold Umeko. Here." Fai got up up and removed his outer robe. In a matter of seconds, he’d folded into a makeshift bed on the floor, all the while balancing Umeko on one hip. "Be good and lay right there for now.” He set her down. “I'll help him get all clean. Okay?" Umeko appeared to think for a moment then nodded her head as he settled down into Fai's house kimono, cuddling into it before closing her eyes. 

Fai sighed, shaking his head before he walked back to the larger man. "She gets scared more easily when you're gone." Slowly, and with the same tenderness he showed the child, Fai started to undress Kurogane. 

During the entire exchange, Kurogane kept his head bowed. He did his best to remain steady even as his arm shook and trembled. But when Fai came to help him, he leaned forward and rested his forehead against the other man's shoulder. "Help me stand up." He whispered before he pulled his head back.

As Fai helped him to his feet, he gripped one of the man's arms and tried to move more of his weight on his own, but he did need the help. Just as he needed the help untying his clothes and changing into the new ones. Just as he needed help changing out the wet, bloody futon for the clean, dry one. Just as he needed help sitting back down, though the salve was starting to work, and he wasn't in so much pain that he had to lean entirely on that arm. He could sit forward a little. Enough to look at Umeko and watch her open her eyes to watch him. 

As if she could sense something, Umeko got up from her bed and crawled over to futon and nuzzled herself in so her head rested against Kurogane's leg. Thunder shook the house again but this time the child didn't move, only sighed softly as if all she needed was the comfort of Kurogane's presence.

Fai smiled warmly, feeling that he could relate to the girl a little more than he cared to admit. "I'm sorry." He whispered, leaning down as if to pick her up. "You need your rest. I can take her back to her room." 

"Let her stay," Kurogane shook his head and rested his hand on the girl's head, gently stroking the soft black hair. He wouldn't voice it, but Umeko's presence helped quell one of the fears tugging at the back of his mind. As long as she wasn't afraid of him when he was missing one arm, he could tell himself he wasn't completely unfit to be her father. "I don't want you to leave either, even if it's just down the hall." He hoped Fai understood enough to know that something wasn't quite right in his head right now. For all that he needed to know he could still be a father, he also needed to know he wasn't worthless, and only Fai could help him with that one.

Fai picked up his kimono from the floor and gently wrapped it around the girl. "Of course." He said with a nod. He moved himself a little bit behind Kurogane and the wall then guided the man to lean against him as he pulled a blanket up around them both. Slender arms slipped around Kurogane’s waist as Fai’s his chin rested against the ninja's uninjured shoulder. The position wasn't ideal for Fai's slim frame but he didn't care. Kurogane's weight wasn't preventing him from breathing, and he found a comfort in that closeness. 

"I'm proud of you, you know. Protecting that boy." Fai kissed Kurogane’s shoulder as he watched their daughter drift off to sleep. "To do anything else, wouldn't be like you."

"You should be mad at me" Kurogane whispered and started to pull himself up. "That can't be comfortable for you." He knew Fai could handle laying like that, but he also knew it would be better for both of them if they slept like they normally did. Besides, Umeko was light enough that she could lay on top of Kurogane and he wouldn't even notice. So he pulled his hand from her head as he sat up completely. "Help me move her. She can lay on me instead." He whispered, doing his best to keep from waking the child. "Besides, I want to hold you properly, even if I can only do it with one arm."

Fai's cheeks turned a delicate shade of pink before he nodded and moved Umeko up to Kurogane's chest. The child nuzzling the man as if she hadn’t been moved at all, while Fai laid down beside them, over Kurogane's arm, allowing it to curled around his waist, and press him closer "Better?" Fathomless blue eyes focused up at Kurogane's.

"Much." Kurogane turned his head to look at him. "Tomorrow, the princess will come to check on me, since she'll have heard by then for sure. I'll tell her I'm not doing any more work that might injure me." He closed his eyes. "She won't argue."

"If it's what you want." Fai lifted his hand. He knew this wasn't an easy choice for the man to make. He also understood that at nearly forty-five years old Kurogane wasn't as malleable as he used to be. Injuries lasted longer both physically and mentally and the scaring seemed to become more and more severe. Meanwhile, Fai never changed. His magic bought him a seemingly eternal youth and Kurogane would never see time start to claim him. He would never see what it looked like as gray started to mix in to blond. He would never see laugh lines form around the edge of Fai’s mouth. He would never hear Fai complain of sore knees or knuckles. He would never see the damage time played over Fai’s smooth ivory skin. He would never see all the things Fai could see in the man who laid before him, and he would never have to see Fai die nor hear him take that final breath. 

Fai's throat started to close up on him and he turned his eyes away from Kurogane, and huddled his body in just a little closer. He did his best not to dwell on his lover’s mortality, the topic was more sensitive to him than it was to the other man, but there would be moments, or stretches of time were Fai could think of little else. 

"There's a difference between want and need." Kurogane murmured. He felt the air shift a little when Fai moved, and he had an idea what it was about, but he said nothing. He didn't need to upset the man more than he apparently already upset himself. "I need to spend more time with you." He turned his head and kissed the mop of blond that rested on his good shoulder. "I also want to, so in that way it works out."

Fai nodded his head, his eyes still stinging. He was so selfish. So wretchedly selfish. "I'll support you, either way." He lied. He wanted nothing more than to have Kurogane with him, away from anything that could hurt him or take him away from any sooner than his mortal life span already would. "I'm glad though, that you'll be here."

"You want me to do that, too. You know it. I know it." He sighed and kissed the top of Fai's head again. "I can tell when you look at me. I can tell right now. So even if you tell me I need to do things for me, I want to do things for you."

"Don't die." The words came out before Fai could even stop them, and instantly his face flushed with embarrassment. It was a childish request, that he knew, better than most, couldn't be fulfilled.

"I will live as long as the world lets me, but you and I both know that's something I can't protect you from." Kurogane sighed and closed his eyes. "I'm sorry."

"No, I'm sorry." Fai said, turning his head against his arm. He was being unfair. He had to be stronger than this, but right now with the scent of Kurogane's blood still in the air, and the sounds of their daughter's breath caught in sleep, he found strength to be a fleeting thing. 

"All I can do is hold you until then." He whispered and sighed. "You don't have to hold it in. You can cry if you need to. I can at least do that for you."

"Teh." Fai's laugh came out as a small sob as he turned his head further into the larger man's arm, then his hand gripped the edge of Kurogane's Yukata, bunching it tightly into his fist as if he could transfer all that misery into something other than himself. "Why do you have to sound so cool all the time?"

"You wouldn't find me nearly as attractive if I didn't sound cool." Kurogane let Fai do whatever he needed to do to make himself feel better. 

Fai laughed again and finally looked up at his lover, teary eyes shining in the dim lamp light. "It's probably true." He leaned up and kissed the man's forehead. "I'm sorry I worried you. Get some sleep."

Kurogane leaned in and kissed each one of Fai's cheeks, since he couldn't wipe any stray tears. "I will sleep if you sleep."

Fai nodded and laid his head down on Kurogane's chest, just beside Umeko's, his hand lifting up to hold her tiny one. "Oyasumi." He whispered softly before he settled down to sleep.

"Oyasumi..." Kurogane closed his eyes as well.


	9. The Judge

Fai inhaled a long deep tobacco-filled breath and held it. He closed his eyes as the smoke filled his lungs, and he only exhaled when he felt that welcoming tingle of nicotine hit his system. The effects were immediate and soothing as he laid his head back against the window frame. He pulled one leg up to his chest where he draped a lazy arm, while the other kept him grounded and balanced inside the window. 

The scent of a recently departed morning rain filled the room along with the sloshing sticky sounds of tires rushing through puddles on the street around the corner from their room. Fai relaxed for the first time since setting foot on Italian soil, and he was going to savor the moment to the point, not having a care for his inappropriate style of dress. He did, however, look up and wink at a woman across the alley way that got an eye full of bare ivory leg and the barely covered curve of his backside. She visibly huffed and closed her curtain. Fai shrugged his shoulders that he did her a service, and she should have been pleased that he bothered at all. It wasn’t his fault he had no clothing of his own. The shirt was wearing was stolen from Kurogane’s suitcase. It was a deep dark red with hues of black that would come and go depending on the lighting. The fabric must have been silk for how to cool it felt against his skin. The cost of this shirt could have fed his brother and himself for a week, and then some as a child. Never in his wildest dreams did he think he would be carelessly lounging in something like this after just have sex with the owner of it.

His eyes flickered over to the man still sleeping on the bed. Fai had all but exhausted himself, just trying to get out of his death grip this morning. Kurogane was a strange creature. He intrigued, fascinated, and scared the mage all at once. In the two nights they had spent together, he had felt more than with any number of would be lovers he had in the past. There was passion, want, need, and desperation in every touch they shared. It was exhilaratingly terrifying. Addictive and his body still ached to feel it even as it recovered. 

Sexual compatibility aside, Kurogane was also a pretty damn good fighter, and that made a very dangerous concoction. Sexy and competent. Fai was certainly in trouble; however, that wasn’t what worried him. What worried Fai was not only could Kurogane see the demon yesterday. He could also fight it and hurt it, badly.

Fai look another long drag of his cig as he looked back out to the street. Trouble indeed.

Kurogane felt the shift in weight as Fai's body left the bed, but he kept his eyes closed and he listened for the other man's movement. This time he didn't walk towards the door, and for that he felt some tension leave his body. Not that he should have been tense about it, but he was. He turned his head and slowly opened his eyes, hissing a little since the light was too bright, due to Fai opening the curtains and sitting at the window. 

But he made no move to get up just yet. He simply laid there for quite a while and watched the other man smoke, not even remotely annoyed that he had rummaged through Kurogane's things for that shirt, or that it would likely smell like the cigarette he was smoking. "My father and brother should be boarding right about now." He mumbled.   
Fai looked calmly over his shoulder and nodded. "When does our flight leave?" He swung his leg around, putting the cigarette out in a pot before lifting himself up from the window.

"Tonight, though I can delay it longer if you want me to." Kurogane slowly sat up, but he kept his gaze on him.

Fai looked thoughtful for a moment before he sat down on the bed. "I have some work I'll need to do before we go."

Kurogane's lips thinned a little, but then he shook his head. "And I suppose I'm not supposed to go with you?" He looked at him again. 

"I haven't decided yet." Fai tilted his body back to elbows and arched his head so he could see Kurogane, albeit upside down. "If you were my boss, Yakuzasan. What would you think?"

"I don't know because I don't know what the fuck you actually do." Kurogane frowned. "But I know that if it has to do with whatever the fuck that was yesterday, it's not good."

"It might, it might not. I've made a few nasty enemies in my line of work. The one from yesterday followed me from the U.S. So there could be a number of reasons why it was after me. Plausible that it just wanted to eat me. I hear I'm pretty tasty." A feline grin curled Fai's lips. 

"I don't think that's the kind of eating you'd enjoy." Kurogane reached out to touch his lips. "But that still doesn't tell me what exactly you do, nor does it tell me if you're going to tell me to fuck off or not."

A shiver of delight rolled down Fai’s spine. "No, I think you're right. I've already gotten a straw through my gut like I’m a frickin’ juice box, I don't need to experience that again." Fai kissed those finger tips, and playfully nipped at the last one. 

"What I do?” Fai scrunched up his nose. “It's not simple to put it into words, but in basic terms, I use high power magic to kill things, save lives, and blow up the occasional building.” He raised a finger to number each point. 

“If I must. I'm covert, and not covert. Preferably the former, but you've made that very complicated this time around."

"Well, that was more coincidence than anything else. I couldn't exactly help that it happened that way." Kurogane's eyes darkened a little at the attention to his fingers. "So that lady who wasn't a nun is your boss hm? And would she be angry if I stayed with you?"

In one quick slip of movement Fai was straddling Kurogane's waist, arms wrapped loosely around his shoulders, and a sultry smile on his lips that matched the smoldering gems of his eyes. "Want to know what I think?"

"That depends. If you think something bad about me, I'd rather not." Kurogane's hands rested on Fai's hips, and he grinned up at him.

Fai leaned in closer as his fingers pushed up into Kurogane's hair. "I think," His voice was low and teasing. "I think I need to shower." 

With just as much ease as he got there, Fai slipped off the man to get to the other side of the room. "Get dressed, get your stuff together, call the concierge and order me shirt and pants from the store. I'm about a 38, then a medium tall for pants." He stopped at the door, his hand against the frame as he looked over at Kurogane. "And I'll take it in a blue." With that the lean man disappeared with a gentle click of the bathroom door.

Kurogane's frown deepened and a low growl seemed to start in his throat once that door clicked shut. There was no way he was going to take orders like that, so he remained sitting on the bed until he heard the water from the shower stop. He slowly got up and stretched, still fully naked, and he walked towards the bathroom door, standing outside of it, waiting for Fai to open it.

From the bathroom came only a soft jovial sounding hum. The tune something current and catchy but at the same time nameless, and it only became broken with a sudden gasp of surprise. "Oh!" 

Suddenly the bathroom door open and a soapy mage found himself facing a disgruntled ninja. "I was going to ask!" Wide eyes blinked as they looked over the hulking from of Kurogane's naked body and his words trailed off. "To order breakfast. The fewer stops..."

"Oh? You were going to ask?" Kurogane leaned in and looked at him, the frown still curving his lips downward. "Like you asked me to order you clothes? Like you asked if maybe I needed a shower too?" He reached up and grabbed Fai's chin and leaned in for a kiss, but stopped just short of his lips to whisper, "I don't like being ordered around, and I don't like being left like this." His other hand rested on one of Fai's hips and he pressed himself against him just so Fai could see how he left him when he slid off him to come to the bathroom.

Fai's eyes widened when he felt that hardened heat press against his hip, and he whimpered softly. He knew what he did before was cruel, but Kuro's line of questioning was getting dangerous, and Fai couldn't answer one way or the other. Normal people would take a hint from extremely obvious diversion tactics, but Kurogane was anything but normal. He was naked, hard, and pressing himself expectantly against the smaller man, and Fai was succumbing to it. 

"Kurosama..." The excited thrill of arousal forced Fai body up to him sybaritically.

"It wasn't very nice..." Kurogane whispered again before he kissed him and started pushing him back towards the shower that Fai had just left, both of his hands on his hips now.

"Nnn." Fai couldn't help the mewl of pleasure that escaped his lips but before he knew it he was up against the shower wall with Kurogane's mouth hungrily devouring his own. "K..Kuro" He tried to get out between gasps, leaving himself short of air.

Kurogane kept kissing him, his hips moving a little against Fai without doing much more than rubbing against him. He groaned a bit, and when he looked at the smaller man, his eyes were dark.

"We... can't..." Fai managed stealing his will. "Kurogane..." He arched his head back and moaned as he was rubbed against. "S..stop. We need to stop."

Kurogane stopped the movement of his hips, and he looked at Fai. His brows furrowed, and for a moment he looked genuinely confused before he kissed him one more time before he stepped back. "Ah. Sorry...I couldn't help it."

Fai slipped down the wall to settle more on his feet, his hand gently resting on Kurogane's chest. "No, no it's okay." He took a moment to catch his breath and turned his head up to Kurogane and smiled. 

"We don't have time right now, that's all." Though Fai wouldn't say it out loud, part of him was flattered to be desired on the level that Kurogane just expressed, part of it scared him. Not because he thought he was in any real danger but it was next to impossible for him to resist. His mind was still whirling from the effort to deny him even as he reached over to turn the warm shower into a freezing one.

"I'll...go make that phone call now..." Kurogane backed away from him and shook his head a little as if that would clear the thoughts that were currently running through his head. He had no idea what came over him, but he just felt like he needed Fai in that moment, and if the other man hadn't told him to stop, he would have taken him right there.

"What do you want for breakfast?" Maybe if he distracted himself.

"Huh?" Fai looked up at him from the shower. "Oh, yes. Thank you. Crepe if they have them." 

Kurogane nodded and grabbed a towel on his way out of the bathroom, still trying to clear his head even as he made the necessary calls.

Fai came out of the bathroom tying the robe around himself. "It's open, if you need it." There was a subtle bashfulness in his demeanor as he addressed Kurogane, but he shook it out as soon as he caught it. "I'll set up breakfast when it gets here. So feel free to take your time."

"All right..." Kurogane looked at him and started to take a step towards him, but then he caught himself and walked past him and into the bathroom, shutting the door behind himself and stepping into the shower to take the coldest one he could.

By the time Kurogane was done; Fai was dressed, the table was set, and everything else was packed up and ready to go for them as soon as they were done eating. Fai was sitting at the table and waiting patiently.

Kurogane walked out of the bathroom in just a towel, and he got dressed almost immediately. the shower had definitely helped, but seeing Fai fully clothed helped more. He sat with him at the table and picked up his coffee. "So..."

"So." Fai stretch the silence a little longer before he sighed. "I'll bring you with me. But if I do, you listen to me. I'm going to be in enough trouble for just bringing you there." Fai leaned forward and dropped a few more cubes of sugar into his coffee. "Deal?"

Kuorgane nodded. "I can do that."

Fai rubbed his temple and nodded. "Alright then, after we eat we'll go." 

"All right." Kurogane drank his coffee and looked at him. "Is there anything else you think I should know beforehand?"

"What can I tell you? You saw what I do yesterday and I'm about to take you into work.” Fai’s voice hitched into a bit of a laugh. “Nothing I can say could make you ready for it. I could overwhelm you with the details, and you’d realize that what I do is disturbingly normal." 

Fai ate a little more before pushing his plate aside. "I was taken in by this place. My brother and I. They trained us. Set us up with mentors..." Fai's voice trailed off and his eyes became momentarily distant before he snapped himself back from whatever place his mind took him.   
"In turn, I go on missions and try to handle the things that normal society can't even fathom a thought that they exist. Harry Potter made for HBO. In a sense.” 

"Ok." Kurogane watched Fai, grimacing a little when the other man seemed to go a little distant, but he just hid that behind his mug of coffee. "I gathered as much yesterday, and you don't really need to explain that. I just meant, should I not look at certain things or not say certain things? Should I pretend I don't understand English or something?"

Fai shook his head. "That won't work. Karen's clever, she already knows more about you than you do, she knows I'm here with you, and, as creepy as it sounds, she knows we fucked. So just don't ask any questions that go too deep. If she thinks you should know something. She'll tell you. If she can't trust you, use you, or she thinks I'm in danger, you'll be nothing but a pile of ash. She's done it before and for far less."

"That is a little creepy, yes." Kurogane shook his head and put his coffee down. "So I just shouldn't talk?"

"Pretty much. I'll need to a get a new uniform as well. Your brother bought a priest, after all. Hate to disappoint the prince.” Fai stood up and fixed his hair in the hallway mirror. 

"Ready?"

"At least the uniform isn't my fault." Kurogane nodded and stood, grabbing his suitcase. "Maybe you should get some spares."

“No. It isn’t. It would seem that demons are just as perverted as Yakuzasamas though.” Fai gave a white tooth grin over his shoulder as he waited at the door, his hand impatiently resting on the knob. 

"Well, I wouldn't completely shred your clothes, so at least they're a little worse. Kurogane walked right up behind him and rested his hand on his back, waiting for him to open the door.

Even under his shirt the tightly drawn muscles of Fai's back stiffened under Kurogane's touch. He was anxious, that much was obvious. Fai didn't want to bring him to Karen but the options left to him were shallow, and at this point he was just going to dive in head first and hope he didn't break his neck.

"Follow me." Fai said and Kurogane down to the lobby he was about to rush them out the door until he felt a soft touch to his arm forcing him to stop at the checkout desk.

"Wait a minute, and breathe a little." Kurogane murmured squeezing his arm just a little, gently, before he let go and walked to the counter to talk to the man. Once he handed over his luggage and finished a little business, he walked back over to Fai, allowing him to lead on down the street.

"It's about a mile walk, down that way. We didn't stray far from your hotel." Fai didn't meet Kurogane's eyes he spoke, instead he played idly with his lighter, flipping it and wrapping it between his fingers in a display of dexterity that could have been impressive as a bar trick, but here it was just a dead giveaway that he was looking for anything else to focus on other than the next thirty minutes of his life.

He remained silent for their walk. He knew Fai wasn't thrilled with what was happening, and he could tell the other man was nervous, given the way he played with his lighter. He frowned a little and touched his arm again. "Hey...It's going to be fine. I'm not going to fuck anything up for you."

"You're not the one I'm worried about." Fai stated simply as he kept moving. He wasn't upset with anyone in particular, but the closer he got to the small housing complex Karen resided in for the time being, the more he felt a weight fill his gut. He owed the organization everything for better or for worse. With them not only came work and a steady income, but also protection. Without it he would be back on the street with enough nightmares to come after him Fai would probably not last a month, power be damned. There was always something more powerful and scarier than yourself and if Kurogane was insistent on following him through this hell, he was going to need it too. 

He stopped in front of a four story building. It was beige brick and like most of the city had that renovated new and old stucco appeal to it with newly added French balconies accented with reaching white curtains coming from almost every window. Fai breathed, then hit the buzzer.   
Static came through on the intercom follow by the sound of a clicking latch. The Fai jumped and quickly caught the door. 

“Ready?” Fai looked up at Kurogane, the youthfulness of his face making the pensive expression appear to be that of schoolboy before the principals’ office. 

Kurogane nodded and watched the smaller man's body language, remaining quiet as he followed him. "Well, you're the one who needs to be more ready, right?"

Fai sighed and nodded his head before he pushed open the heavy security door and turned to the first door. The white chipped paint gave the wooden door a lived appeal rather than it being in a state of ruin. He knocked gently, and it opened with a soft click. A voice, deep and sultry came from within before Fai could even push it. "Come in. I've been waiting."

Fai swallowed and with a flat hand he guided the door the rest of the way. The two men walked into a room that was nothing short of a home and garden cut out. The walls were tastefully decorated with old anchors of varying sizes which mixed in well with several paintings of ocean landscapes. The paint was a soft sky blue that led into a sandy tan colored carpet. White curtains billowed into the room like clouds dancing on a summer breeze. The nautical theme continued with the furniture, lamps made out of seashells and clam shaped coasters sat with sweating drinks already on the coffee table.

In the center of a brown couch sat Karen. Her strawberry curls pulled up and away from her face by a pair of oversized sunglasses. The Sunglasses may have counted for the biggest piece of clothing she elected to put on aside from a shear white beach shawl which dropped from her slender shoulders. Otherwise, the woman was in nothing more than a bikini and appeared more like a woman on holiday than one receiving guests. 

Beside her on the couch laid a tiny dog that watched Fai with eyes that were far too intelligent for its’ size. 

"Good morning boys. I was wondering when I would see you." She looked Fai as the young man took a seat on the matching loveseat in front of her.

Kurogane wanted to be surprised by all of this, but after that giant mosquito monster yesterday, very little could surprise him, least of all that the woman was just as much of a nun as Fai was a priest. But he remained quiet, and he remained behind the other man, not doing anything without being told, lest he offend someone or get Fai in trouble.

"So what do I owe the honor?" Karen pushed over a sweating glass of ice tea to which Fai took.

"I'm here-"

"Not." Karen cut off the younger man sharply. "You." Amber eyes focused on Kurogane. 

Kurogane looked at her, then shrugged. "I saw it." It took all his willpower to give a direct response instead of some sort of snarky one.

"Saw it? What did you see? I know you're not blind." Karen sat back into the couch, her arms folding over his midsection, the action pushing up her already ample chest to the point where even Fai had to find another place to look. "Tell me, what you think you saw. What makes you feel that you could follow my idiot charge?"

Fai flinched at that. Outside of the occasional jest, Fai was not use to hearing someone call him an idiot, and mean it. 

Kurogane felt the temperature in the room rise enough to be warmer than it should have been inside. He could feel the sweat forming at the back of his neck, soaking into the collar of his shirt. He looked at the woman and could have sworn he saw some of the air around her waver with the heat. He supposed he should have been surprised by this, and under normal circumstances, he probably would have been. As it was, he was trying to remain as calm and neutral as possible to keep Fai from getting in trouble, and he knew any sort of exaggerated reaction would likely go against that. He was good at not reacting, for the most part, at least when it came to some sort of physical feeling. However, if this heat kept up for much longer, he would likely pass out, given that he only had coffee for breakfast. 

He listened to the woman speak, and he tried to stop the flat expression that crossed his face, but he didn't succeed, given that he was concentrating on not letting the heat affect him. He did, however, shrug it again. "Whatever that American mosquito thing that skewered him was. Whatever that thing I cut in half was." 

Fai's eyes focused on Karen and he shifted a little. She was far more upset with him than she was letting on, but that wasn’t a good enough excuse for her to torment Kurogane the way she was. So, with a touch of defiance Fai called down a little chill to dance over the nape of Kurogane's neck while his blue eyes never wavered from Karen's face.

"That was a demon." Karen stated matter of fact, uncrossing and crossing his legs as she took a sip of her tea. "Nothing more than a hired thug." She shot Fai a meaningful look before turning back to Kurogane. "I won't do you any disservices by lying to you any more than we already have. The boy here has already made it his personal mission to muddy those waters."

"Karen-"

"Not. Now. Fai." Karen tilted her chin to Kurogane. "So, why are you here? Why did you want to see me? This child would never of dared to risk so much, otherwise? So, what makes it worth it?" 

The tension that had started to build in Kurogane's shoulders started to dissipate, and the nausea that formed in the pit of his stomach faded when that cool air brushed over the back of his neck. He continued to stand his ground, though, and while the flat expression was still on his face, he refused to let this woman intimidate him. He had faced death so many times before, so why should this time be any different?

"I assume you want to keep his cover intact." He said and shook his head a little. "I don't plan on ruining that, since I don't really want anyone knowing what happened before I saw the two of you in the restaurant. I want to help keep that under wraps, but I don't want to be completely left in the dark either. Japan is a dangerous place. You call them demons, we call them oni. But the people in my family can be significantly more dangerous, and he's going to need my backing to keep at least the people off his back."

"Oh, there is a spark to you. I admire that." Karen stood up, her shawl falling to her elbows and catching there. I make it my business to know my enemies and to cherish my friends. I also make it my business to make sure to get everything else, out of my way." She walked by Fai and her fingers raked possessively through the blond’s hair, and Fai leaned into the touch like child into a hug after a parent's scolding. 

"So tell me, why should I trust you with something important like this?" 

Kurogane watched that interaction and frowned. Something started to form in the pit of his stomach, and he clenched his fists to force it back down. His eyes narrowed a little when he spoke, his voice a bit lower than before. "That depends on what you consider important."

"Lives, Kurogane. I consider lives important. Not just Fai's or my own. Oni, spirits, youkai, demons. They all have agendas. Not all are good, not all are bad." She stepped up to the large Japanese man, her eyes gauging his. “Right Lem?”  
The small terrier on the couch did little more than yawn but his eyes shifted and glowed a yellow green in reply to her.

Karen walked around the large Asian man, his hand in chin as if she were appraising a designer suit. When she stopped in front of him again her expression was nothing short of serious. "He's to meet with his contact in Japan. Sakurazukamori. I trust you've heard that name?"

"Him!?" Fai sat up on the couch and twisted his back to the two of them which caused Karen to sigh noting the dramatic tension in the room slacking like a broken string. "No. Nope. Nadda, Nein, Net." Fai waved his hands into X in front of his face.

"You don't really have a choice." Karen gave the blond a side long look. 

“I’d rather deal with Oran.”

“And Oran would rather not deal with me. The Sakurazukamori is a professional.” 

“Assassin!” Fai’s voice hitched.

“And what are we Fai!?” Karen shot back. The words silenced the mage as if he were a pouting child. Satisfied with his silence Karen turned her eyes on to Kurogane. “Well?” 

Kurogane grimaced. "Of course. There's no one in the upper circles of my line of work who doesn't know of him, or seen some of his work..." He shook his head. "Am I supposed to just bring him there and let him go into the lion's den?"

"Lion's den?" Karen smirked softly. "Why Kurogane, they are coworkers." There was a girlish amusement in Karen's voice now. "If he’s a lion, then Fai is a cub. If there is one person here who should be worried about walking into a den, it should be you, little Daniel." 

Fai sighed. "We do things differently." He said to apologetically to Kurogane. 

Kurogane shrugged. "I'm not worried about being eaten."

"You should be. You've opened this world up to yourself, and while you have some, marginal skill, it will destroy you. Fai’s brother…”

“Karen…” Fai begged in a soft voice that went unheeded.

“Yui was no weakling.” Karen continued. “He was a powerful wizard, more powerful in a lot of ways than Fai. But he had a major flaw. His magic was more in line with defense and healing. Fai’s power is reckless and dangerous. Yui’s was gentle and warm. Together they were unstoppable, but Yui’s weakness overwhelmed him. While Fai’s raw talent and flare allowed him to thrive even by himself. So Yui always had a need for more, always had a need to test his boundaries, always had a desire to push himself into areas his skill type shouldn’t have allowed him to go. One day he went too deep and got devoured by this world." Karen leaned against the back of the couch. 

Fai's head bowed. “He didn’t know his own strength.”

"No, he knew, it just wasn't enough." Karen countered softly, her hand finding the man's shoulder “I’m not telling you this story to hurt Fai or to trudge of painful memories. I’m telling you this story as a reminder that the world you are about to enter has no mercy and no amount of knowledge or skill can ever really protect you from it. The more Yui learned the more it ate him. Ignorance is bliss in this case." The mage hung his head lower as Karen continued and it was obvious the pain was still raw, time having never been a good enough salve. 

"So, Kurogane. What do you want your place to be? How do you want us to use you? How do I allow him to continue in your presence?" Karen breathed deeply. "Prevent me from giving the job to the Sakurazukamori." 

Kurogane listened patiently, but then he sighed. "I suppose I should be flattered by the fake concerned for my welfare?" He shrugged. "I'm pretty sure I've been stuck in this world since the day I was born. It's already destroyed me. If I'm going to die, I'm going to die. There's no point about being worried about it or afraid of it. Besides, you just said you value life. Give it to him, and there won't be any life left. I've seen the result of some of the things he's done. Those are the things someone does when they kill for fun." He looked at her again. "And I assume you don't want to make waves. I assume you want to keep this as tight-lipped as possible?"

Karen shrugged at that. "We don't strive for secrecy. If that were the case, you wouldn't be here at all. We have no rules about using magic in public or any nonsense like that. We are just here to maintain order. To help people that can't help themselves, and to stop those who wish to harm others. The world will just use blinders like it always has. We don't have to work at it. The only reason you're here is because Fai doesn't want you hurt. Or doesn't want you in the cross hairs because this task is easier to get completed with you than against you. However, just knowing of him puts you at risk. What you did yesterday could be your own death warrant." Her fingers stroked through the soft threads of Fai's hair once more. 

"You’re here because he's asking for you to be protected and to be taken in. You showed skill and I'm interested. So I'm hearing him out." 

Kurogane's eyes narrowed again. "So you have no problem alerting your target? Wouldn't that just get more people hurt or worse?" 

Karen again shook her head. "Making omelets. I'd kill you right now if it meant 10 people would be saved by it. If I let this whole charade continue, it would only be so you can keep an eye on him. You don't matter to me. Not yet."

"Karen!" Fai turned his head and glared coolly at the fire mage and in response feminine fingers caressed the blond's face. 

"It's the truth. You matter to me." A deep emotion darkened Karen's eyes as she regarded the mage, and in that moment a vale lifted over their long painful history. 

"Then," Fai raised his hand to touch the one at his cheek. "Let me do this how I think is best. I won't get hurt. Not like before. I promise."

"If it were true, you’d never make a promise."

"I know. But I'll try. Okay? So stop this." Fai nodded to Kurogane. "I trust him." There was long silence between two of them before Karen leaned forward and kissed the man on his forehead. 

"Alright. As you wish. But if you fail."

"I know. He'll finish it for me."

Kurogane turned his head away and glared at the wall just so he wouldn't have to see what was going on in front of him. He clenched his fists to the point that he could have broken his own fingers if his brain would have let him. That pit that had formed in his stomach earlier only grew, and he wasn't sure if he was pissed off about what he was seeing or pissed off that he was even reacting to it. This had never happened before, and there was no reason for it to start now. Not for someone he barely knew. But there it was, spreading through his body like some sort of fire, and he wasn't sure how to douse it.

Karen gave Kurogane a knowing glance and her eyes darkened in warning. "You trust him?" She whispered to Fai.

"I do."

"Alright.” Karen resigned herself with a sigh. “Carry on then, you'll be on your own. I have a bag packed for you. You are welcome to fill him in." Karen's posture relaxed and he flopped back on the couch, his hand resting on Lem’s head.

"I've placed a parcel in your bag to take to the shop as soon you can. Understood? He'll be waiting for it."

"Yes," Fai nodded as he stood up.

"Good. Then take care." Her eyes settled on Kurogane. "Watch your back as well as his."

Kurogane slowly turned his head back to the two of them and just grunted in response. He kept clenching his fists and tried to convince himself not to feel so enraged, but since he didn't understand the source or the reason, he wasn't doing a very good job.

Fai came back from the other room wheeling a suitcase behind him before stepping over to Kurogane. "Come on, you got what you wanted right?" A gentle hand rested on one of those large broad shoulders.

Any rage that had been bubbling in Kurogane was instantly quelled, and he blinked a bit, clearly a bit startled at whatever just happened. He looked at Fai and the confusion was still in his eyes as he tried to register what the smaller man had just said to him. "Huh?"

"Did you get what you wanted? You wanted me to bring you here. Are you satisfied?" Fai stepped away from him and started to slip on his shoes. "Well I guess it doesn't matter. We have a plane to catch either way.”

"Oh. Yeah." Kurogane nodded as the last of the fog cleared and his body completely relaxed. "The car is at the hotel..."

"Are you okay?" Fai cocked his head at him. "Was this all too much? Not that blame you, it got a bit weird for a bit there"

"I don't know." Kurogane shook his head and looked off to the side. "You should get the rest of what you need... I'll wait outside." He started to walk away from him.

"I already got it… hey!?" Fai stepped after him and blinked after the security slammed shut behind them. He took a wary glance over his shoulder before looking back at Kurogane. "What's with you? Did she scare you that much?" 

Kurogane stopped when Fai stepped after him, and he shook his head a little. "Scare? No. Not even remotely. I already said, there's no point in being worried or afraid."

Fai nodded his head and shouldered his bag. "Then we should get a move on. Right?"

"You don't need anything else?"

"I pack light. As little baggage as possible." Fai smiled and lifted the rolling luggage for emphasis before he skipped a little be ahead of the man. Since that last piece fell into place with Karen, something suddenly felt light in Fai. Like switch had been hit. This man behind him knew all there was to know about him, at least he main issues, and he was still there. Karen gave her approval, for now, and Fai had a partner again. 

The uneasiness started to come over Kurogane again, but he shook it off and just started to follow the other man, remaining silent and trying to find anything else to look at so he didn't have to focus on the bouncing blond in front of him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reference Song: 
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> [ The Judge - Twenty One Pilots](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lXBre0OGPdU)
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> Questions, comments, and positive criticisms are always welcome!


	10. The Messenger

Kurogane drummed his fingers on the steering wheel as the car sat at a red light. They had landed in Japan only about an hour ago, but Fai already had business to attend to. Some shop. Some place that it would be better to go without a driver, so Kurogane called to tell his father they'd be running late, to not send a car, and he would be home as soon as possible. His father, who seemed to be thrilled that he even bothered to come back to Japan at all, was extra agreeable about the whole thing.

So here they were, waiting at a light, heading into a district that Kurogane knew well, but he never knew of any shop that Fai might be interested in. And as they pulled up to the location Fai had specified, he blinked. This should have been some empty lot. He had gone past it hundreds of times, but now it was a gated lot, with a large, wooden building just behind the fences. He shook his head and parked, as if the action would cause whatever hallucination this was to vanish, and he would be faced with a barren lot again.

Nope. The building was still there, lights glowing faintly though the sky was bright with the mid-morning sun. He glanced at Fai. "Here?"

Fai closed his eyes and opened up his senses and regretted it instantly. The aura around the place was so blinding it seared into the back of his eyes. It felt as though he just stared directly into the surface of the sun, while standing on it. He quickly banished the sensory spell and rubbed the bridge of his nose to try to rid himself of the resulting pain.

“Yeah," Fai started with small grumble “beyond a doubt." Taking a second more, he leaned himself over the back seat of the car and started to rummage in his suitcase to pull out the package Karen had given him, then took the meticulous care to refold any clothing that may have upset during the shuffle. 

Fai stepped out of the car, straightening his back adjusted the thick white band of his collar. He'd been playing with his appearance since the moment they stepped off the plane. Fai had taken anonymity for granted in the west, not exactly considering how much a tall blond priest would stand out in this country.

Luckily they were right smack in the middle of Tokyo. Most people in this city didn't bother to look twice. The population here, like most major metropolitan areas, was a mixed bag of every race, size, and creed. Despite that knowledge, he still tried, and he managed to get half of his hair up and tied back with only a few stubborn blond fringes slipping down to frame his elfin face. Fai sighed when he was done messing with his hair and placed the small brown box under his arm and walked to the gate. 

"You can wait in the car if you want. I've never been here, so I don't really know what to expect." Fai said truthfully, looking at Kurogane through the windshield, his arms reaching behind him to stretch. He had heard stories of the shop that could grant wishes and not all of them were pleasant. It worked on that 'Be careful what you wish for' mentality.  
"I'd rather not." Kurogane shook his head as he got out of the car and locked it. "This place wasn't here before, so I don't trust it enough to leave you alone in there." He knew damn well that if anything happened, the mage was actually more equipped than he was to handle it, but he said he would look out for him in Tokyo, and so he would. He already kept people away from him in the airport, but that was easy when you were a large, angry looking man like Kurogane. So it shouldn't be too much of a stretch for him to at least try here as well. "Besides, if you don't know what to expect, it might be better if we both go."

Fai smiled warmly at Kurogane. The man, for as much as he would deny it, was a softy. "It wasn't that it wasn't here. It was more that you didn't have a need to see it." 

Fai raised a hand, and with the most gentle of touches the gate slid open. Stepping through the threshold he felt the power of the place wash over him. Unlike the searing pain of using sensory magic, this was more like warm wave washing over his body. It was welcoming and yet still held the mysterious touch of an ancient resonance that whispered of even greater powers. It awed him and terrified him. There was so much power here. Fai could have spent a lifetime here and still not understand all the tales of forgotten, or the hidden and forbidden magics, but it all belonged on a shelf where only the curator could fully access it, and the only one able to endure the cost of knowing it. The wizard inside of Fai still ached to learn.

"That makes it worse." Kurogane mumbled under his breath as he followed Fai through those gates, almost bumping into him when Fai seemed to just stop.

Fai shook his head clear of the sensation and found himself staring at a peculiar little girl. She was short, about stomach height with long icy hair done up in pig tails and curls. Every part of expressing youth and delight except lifeless eyes. Spirits? Fai mused to himself.

"Welcome!" The girl announced as if starting a procession. Her small hands took Fai's. "He's been waiting!" She pulled him along showing impressive strength despite Fai's instinctual resistance. He checked over to Kurogane to see that he wasn't faring much better being tugged along by another of the children. 

"Just go with it Kurosama." 

Kurogane said nothing even as the strange girl grabbed his companion, though he didn't have much time to register anything as a set of small hands grabbed his in the way the other one grabbed Fai. He blinked and barely caught himself as a girl with short, pink hair started tugging him along in the same direction. 

The girls guided the men to the house, barely affording them the time to remove their shoes. "He'll be out soon! He's been looking forward to this, ne?" Said the blue haired girl.

"Ne!" Said the pink haired one as she stopped at a table and let go of Kurogane’s hands. The scene would have looked comical if it wasn't so disorienting. The girls weren't rough, but their guidance was silently absolute. 

So without much ado, Fai found himself sitting cross legged on the floor. The table before them had already been set for two with empty tea cups and untouched cookies. The sugar and sweeter of the treats were conspicuously set to Fai's side, while the salty and savory sets were sat before Kurogane. 

"You don't need to bother with all this. I just needed to drop this off." Fai lifted the package once more to the long haired girl, and she seemed perplexed by the offer, her finger going to her chin. "We don't know anything about that."

"We don't know!" Echoed the other girl as he fussed over Kurogane, pulling at his clothes to take his overcoat away. 

Kurogane had no idea what exactly was going on, as they were ushered so quickly, there was barely any time to process it all, but when the girl started trying to take his coat, he looked at her and arched a brow before he shook his head. "I'm more comfortable with this on." He said, his voice a bit nicer than his face otherwise would have indicated. 

The girl puffed her cheeks out but let go of his sleeves, moving back to the long-haired girl's side.

"He was just waiting for you. Nothing else matters right now." The girls bowed softly as they spoke, and Fai wasn't sure if it had been the short haired girl or the long haired one who spoke, or both, but he rolled his shoulders and smiled warmly at the two of them.

"Then I thank you. We will wait here for the him to show up. Please let him know that there is no reason to rush." The girls looked up at Fai than at each other then back at Fai with pleased smiles on their lips, and then seemingly out of thin air Fai produced two wrapped pieces of Italian chocolate. Handing one to each girl. "For your hospitality."

The girls beamed and each took the chocolate with forced restraint before leaving the room. 

Kurogane rolled his eyes a little at the exchange before he looked at the table setting in front of him. "What the hell is this place..." He muttered. "This isn't a shop, or whatever a shop should be. Did you lie to me?" He looked up at Fai then and frowned a bit. 

"No. I didn't lie to you. I'd have no reason to at this point." Fai shifted his hips, obviously not comfortable with sitting on the floor, so he hunched his tall frame over the table. His elbows supporting his weight, with his chin resting in an upraised hand. "This place, what I know if it, is a place that buys and sells wishes or dreams I guess. It's what I've heard any way. Japan isn't necessarily my area of expertise. I spent some time here a few years back, but that's about it." As he spoke Fai popped a sugar cube into his mouth.

Kurogane watched him, his eyes searching his face. He never heard of such a place, but it would be a little ridiculous if he questioned it now, after everything. "And it's always been here..." He murmured and looked back down at the tea in front of him. He wasn't entirely sure he trusted it. He never trusted stuff like this. His shoulders tensed a little as he lifted his eyes and looked at Fai again. "And who are we waiting for?"

Fai shook his head and shrugged. "We are waiting for the owner of the shop." Fai waved his hand in a disconcerted loop. "I don't hear anything bad about them. I do know that they wield immeasurable amounts of power.” Fai tapped his temple with a long index finger is if it could dislodge more information. “They are bound by the rules of the universe to keep themselves and our worlds in check. I know they don't take cash, their payments tend to be more difficult than that." Fai crunched down on another sugar cube.

"If you've never had a wish, you'd never know it was here." Fai's eyes danced between Kurogane's and a touch of mirth sparkled with in them. "Maybe there's just something you want now which is why you can see it. Maaaaaybe something cute, and blond?"

"I've had wishes. I've still never seen this place until now." Kurogane snorted at Fai's implication, though he managed a grin at that last little bit of teasing. "So, it has to be something I want that I've already had?"

He didn't want to admit that this place unsettled him a bit. It caused a weight in his chest that was both overbearing and comforting at the same time, and it wasn't something he could easily explain. So for now, he would ignore it. 

"Doesn't mean you can have it again. I'm a priest now after all." Fai wiggled an eyebrow for emphasis. He could almost feel the unease in Kurogane and figured that gentle teasing might relax the man a little. Fai couldn’t blame the Yakuza for it. The power in this place, the way it seeped from the walls, and licked at ever last nerve of his preternatural senses it made Fai all but visibly shiver. If it was having that kind of effect on someone experienced in magic, Fai could only guess at what it was doing to Kurogane. Though the mage wasn’t sure which was worse. Not knowing and being respectfully wary or knowing and desiring to know more.  
The temptation to feel this place was almost too much for Fai to resist. His skin bristled and his tongue flicked out to wet his lips as he thought _Just once._

On impulse Fai let his eyes close as he allowed himself to entertain the notion. He dropped his natural defenses and all at once chains of power came at him in a crushing wave of elated sensation. Light, colors, joy, sadness, pain, pleasure, fire, earth, water, nothingness, all that tantalized and repelled and drowned him away from the physical and left him stranded within its threads. It went beyond sight and logical use of his senses. One power in particular, one item, something he knew, something that called out in wave of familiarity. It was a siren’s call in the ocean of foreign powers that dispelled his ability to resist. Fai stood up, his head turned toward the sliding paper door. 

"Fai?" Kurogane blinked at the mage's sudden change of demeanor. He didn't even really have any time to come up with some quip to the other man's teasing before stood up abruptly. So he reached out and grabbed the other man's hand. "What are you doing? We were told to wait." Something didn't seem right with the blond, but Kurogane had no idea what to do.

"Huh?" Fai blinked down at Kurogane's hand before looking at his face. "Just going to walk around a little. You can join me." Fai nodded his head to the door. " There’s something I need to check out.”

"Is that a good idea? This place doesn't feel right." Kurogane kept hold of Fai's hand. "We were told to stay here, and I feel like that might be the safest thing for both of us."

"It won't be long. Promise." Fai's large eyes pleaded with the bigger man. "I..." Fai smiled and moved to fold his fingers into Kurogane's. "Something here want me to find it. It that might be why we’re here." Fai didn’t have any reason not to follow they line of logic. Sometimes the world worked by means of putting someone in the right place at the right time.

Kurogane looked down at the way their fingers were laced and he felt something inside of him just let go. He sighed a little and stood. "Fine, but not alone..."

"Thanks!" Fai's voice was an excited whisper as he guided Kurogane up, his hand still holding his as pulled him behind him. They slipped out of the room and walked down the dark narrow hallway. Dark wood lined the floor and met up with paper shoji walls made in the style that Fai recognized as traditional Japanese carpentry, long corridors with very little to signify one room was different than another. So he followed the pull of power it emitted, wasn't his, until he came to a sliding door. "Here." His hand came to rest on the handle. "It's in here."

"Let me go first then..." Kurogane didn't let go of Fai's hand, but he pulled the other man behind his back as he reached out to touch the door. He looked over his shoulder at Fai. "Promise me that you won't do anything stupid."

Fai pouted the second the larger man got in his way, but he pressed his body up against his to lean over him, his feet stretched up on his toes as he tried to see over his shoulder. "Of course, who do you think I am? Open it..." Fai licked his lips, the anticipation growing inside of him like a child on Christmas Eve. Not that he’d ever experienced for himself, but given what pop-culture told him, it had to be similar, right? "Come on!" Fai wiggled anxiously against Kurogane. 

"You're really not good at being patient or quiet, are you?" Kurogane glanced over his shoulder again at the other man before he slowly pushed open the door, taking one step inside and looking around, his hand still holding Fai's to keep him from running around and touching everything. He felt something repel him, as if trying to force his body back out of the room. "I don't like how it feels in here..." He said, his free hand coming up to grip at his shirt as if whatever that feeling was would stop pushing against him. 

"Not really." Fai smiled boyishly as he walked around Kurogane as soon as he was given he all clear, or what he had taken as an all clear. 

The area looked more like an antique dealer’s basement than a simple storage room. Shelves upon shelves filled the room, leaving enough room for Fai to squeeze through without much hesitation, but a man of Kurogane’s side would have found it far more claustrophobic. Items in the room ranged from useless looking broken knickknacks to priceless pieces of art who's eyes, Fai swore, followed him as he walked by. "This is amazing." He whispered.

Kurogane shivered as Fai stepped into the room, and whatever was pushing against him only seemed to push harder. "Let's go back." He gently tugged on Fai's hand, trying to instill some urgency without seeming desperate.

"Mmhmm." Fai whispered, his eyes wide as he walked further into the room, his fingers slipping out of Kurogane's grasp with a fluid ease.

That feeling of dread swelled more as Fai's fingers lost their contact with Kurogane's. He grunted a little, and he could hear Fai say something like 'just a little longer,' but there was a buzzing sound that had filled his ears and made the words hard to hear, or made it sound like Fai's voice was quieter than it otherwise would have been.

"In the back." He could barely decipher those words now as Fai took even more steps away from him. The buzzing in his ears intensified, and Kurogane blinked several times as his vision began to cloud up. He could barely make out Fai's form now. Just a blur of black and blond that moved more into the shadows. 

The hand at his shirt clutched at his chest again, and he fell to one knee. It felt like his throat was closing up, and any sound he managed to get out sounded like a strangled breath of air. He could no longer see Fai, his vision had darkened considerably, and he could barely see anything with the limited light in the room. Something in this room that was slowly crushing the life out of him, and he started to gasp for air, his head bowed as he weakly punched his other fist against the floor, as if that would get someone's attention, though he knew Fai wasn't even listening for him anymore. Fai had stopped listening as soon as Kurogane opened the stupid door. 

He wasn't sure how much time passed. The air continued to thicken around him, but at some point it stopped getting heavier. He could no longer hear the buzzing in his ears, and he couldn't even make out the coloring of the floor. He just coughed and struggled to breathe. Eventually the heaviness in the air started to dissipate, and any effect it had on his body felt like it was beginning to reverse. He remained hunched over himself, as some of the light and color came back to his eyes, as the buzzing began in his ears again. Loud. Painful. Piercing. But it was better than silence.

He let out a few gasping breaths of air, coughing a bit, a coppery taste filling his mouth as several drops of blood fell from his lips and onto his hands and the floor below. His lungs fought to get as much air as they could, the sensation almost as painful as the weight felt earlier, his heart thudding loudly in his chest as it tried to make up for whatever was lost.

He vaguely felt the floor shift around him, and he thought he heard footsteps, but there were footsteps that weren’t Fai’s, since there were two or more sets of them. He couldn’t tell. He couldn't look up yet, so he just gasped and coughed and clenched his fists against the floor.

During his coughing fit, he barely heard Fai's voice. The word sounded so far away. 

"Kurosama?" 

He grunted a little in response, trying to acknowledge he heard it in even some capacity, but before he could do much else, there was a second voice.

"Kuroganesan. Can you get up?" 

Kurogane didn't recognize it, but it was quiet, definitely a man's voice. But who was it? And did this person come in here and just step over him as he felt himself dying on the floor? Was there another way into this shitty death room?

He managed to lift his head to look at the source of the voice. His vision was still blurred, but he could make out light, dark, two people. Two people who were definitely too close together, and he frowned. He could feel blood dripping from his lower lip onto his chin. He could feel his eyes narrow and his fists clench more as a sensation beyond pain began to surge through him. There was a little bit of that darkness he felt in Italy, but it was subdued, perhaps because his muscles and bones ached with every haggard breath he managed to take. They burned as he moved and forced himself off the floor and to his knees. He stopped a moment to catch his breath as best he could before he finally rose, grunting with each subtle movement, but he said nothing. 

The buzzing was now just a slight ring in his ears, so he was able to hear the man more clearly now. "Good. Follow us out and close the door behind us." He watched the two of them move. "Can you catch him?"

Kurogane gave no vocal answer, but he simply shook his head and hoped the man had seen it. He took slow, steady, agonizing steps behind the man, who seemed to be pulling Fai along, based on the movement of the blurs in front of him. Every muscle felt like it was being torn as he moved. He only barely managed to make it out of the room and close the door behind them before he felt himself fall back against it, gasping for air. 

"Okay." Whispered the lanky figure, its unwavering focus on Fai.

"Doumeki!” There was the sound of fingers snapping and a gust of wind blew through the inner corridor then, like a puppet getting it's string cut, Fai's blurry shadow crumbled. 

From nowhere another large shape caught up the mage before he was able to hit the ground and he clutched the unconscious man to his chest hoisting him up with no visible effort.

That same vague feeling came back to Kurogane when the new man appeared seemingly out of nowhere to catch Fai's body. There was a twinge in Kurogane's chest, but it was forced down by a feeling of shame that washed over him. He winced and bowed his head a little, trying to push himself up from the door to get steady on his feet, but his body swayed, and he had to lean against the wall.

"Sorry, but can you bear it a little longer?" The slim man asked. "We'll go back to the tea room and wait for him to wake up. It shouldn't be long.” 

Kurogane managed a nod, trying to follow along behind them, using the wall as support, even though his body protested. His vision seemed to be clearing the further he got from the room, but everything was still somewhat blurry, as though he might need glasses to be able to see properly. 

The shadow nodded once as he lead the group back down the hallway and into the tea room, his hand waved to the guest side of the table were a futon was laid across the floor. "Sit there." He waited for Kurogane to take his place and the smaller man nodded the larger one. 

It was a struggle, but Kurogane managed to get onto the futon and remain sitting, though there was no way he could sit in the traditional way this kind of meeting would require. Instead, he crossed his legs in front of himself, his body hunched forward, his hands flat on the floor beside his thighs, so he could lean on them and keep himself upright, even if his arms shook a bit with the pressure of the weight.

The larger male, Doumeki, nodded back with the unspoken command and carefully laid Fai against Kurogane’s side, his head resting peacefully on a broad shoulder, and then silently retreated from the room, but sat outside the open door, his back to the others as he looked out into the garden.

When he felt Fai's body rest against his, Kurogane bit his lower lip and closed his eyes as he forced his body to withstand the added weight. His arms shook a bit more, but he managed to keep himself up.

"He's a bit feverish." The lanky man said as he started to pour up some tea. Lemon scented steam rose from delicate cups, and he slid one across the table to Kurogane. "Keep your hand over his for a bit, it could help knowing you're close. And drink this. It will relax you."

Kurogane managed to even out his breathing before he slowly opened his eyes to look up at the man who spoke to him. He was young, that was the first thing he noticed as his vision began to clear enough to make out more than just shapes. Dark hair, glasses, and eyes that seemed a lot older than the body in front of him showed. His skin was pale, almost ghost-like, and Kurogane felt, for a fleeting moment, that he knew this man, but that was impossible. 

He glanced at the cup of tea before he looked back up at the man, glanced at Fai, and then back at the man again. His expression hopefully conveyed the feeling of "you're fucking kidding me, right?" that he was certainly feeling as the muscles in his arms threatened to tear with the strain they were currently under. 

A cross between a concerned and an amused smile spread the man's lips before he shook his head and opened his mouth to speak when a moan came from the bundle against Kurogane's side. It was a soft sound laced with pain.

Slowly that mage's winter blue eyes blinked open. Fai’s brow furrowed as soon as he saw the light and his head pounded. "Where?" He lifted a hand to rub the bridge of his nose trying to rid himself of pain before he looked up, tilting his head back to see Kurogane over him. 

"What happened?" The last thing Fai remembered was stepping into the storage room and everything went dark. "Your face..." Carefully, he lifted a hand to Kurogane's chin, catching the blood there.

Kurogane turned his head away as soon as Fai touched him, not that he could do much else, but he really didn't want the other man seeing him in this state, though it was a bit late for that. 

"Aa. You shouldn't move too much. Either of you." Fai turned to the new voice and blinked blurry eyes. 

"You?" 

"Watanuki Kimihiro." 

"Watanuki...san?" Fai started to sit up but barely managed to get to a point where his weight was mostly into the futon rather than on Kurogane, but his head remained against his shoulder wanting the comfort of him being there more than the physical support. "You're?"

"The temporary owner of the shop."

"Eh?" Fai bolted up right and regretted it instantly as pain flared in his head and flashed burning hot down his spine. "Nn..."

Kurogane hissed a little at Fai's sudden movement at his side and he hunched over just a little more, his fingers curling into the cloth of the futon beneath him.

"Easy. Easy." Watanuki soothed, leaning down beside Fai and offering him the same tea that he'd given to Kurogane. "Drink. Please. It will help." He looked pointedly at Kurogane. 

"A..aa." Fai took the cup and brought it to his lips, inhaling the sweet sour scent of it before taking the first sip, then another. He felt the heat flowing down his throat and splashing into his stomach, from there it seeped into his limbs washing the pain along with it.

Kurogane hissed again when Fai’s body moved against his, even if that movement was subtle, it was enough to irritate his already aching muscles.

At that soft sound Fai turned his eyes back to Kurogane. "Kurogane?"

"You should lay down." Came Watanuki's soft yet stern voice. "If you're laying down your ears are still working."

Fai looked between the two men and nodded. "Yeah." Slowly he shifted himself allowing Kurogane the space needed to spread out.

Kurogane's body fell to the side and landed against the futon as soon as he pulled his arms up. He managed to get his legs straightened out too, and he just lay there, eyes closing, but listening to whatever conversation he could. At least the noises in his head stopped, and his hearing was mostly back to what it was, though everything did sound a little muffled. 

"What happened to him?" Concern filled Fai's voice while he adjusted his position and all but forced the Yazuka to lay his head in his lap. His fever warmed hand resting against Kurogane’s forehead.

"Your impatience. Mostly. You both were asked to wait, and while I apologize for how long I took, there are instructions that are meant to be followed." Despite the words, Watanuki's tone, while stern, never became the scolding Fai felt should have been coming. 

Fai’s eyes followed the slim shop owner as he settled himself back down by the table, sitting kitty corner from them rather than across and Fai noted to motion wasn't without a level of effort. Watanuki moved stiffly on one side as if his right leg didn't wish to obey him completely.

"There are a lot of mysteries in this shop and a lot of them are very dangerous to the inexperienced."

"I felt something, something strong." Fai bowed his head over the man in his lap, his fingers now gently stroking through his hair.

"I'm sure you did. But your actions were unwise, and resulted in this. Fair exchange isn't always a kind thing. It can be painful." Discolored eyes flickered over the broad back of the man sitting out in the garden before looking back at them. 

"But what caused this?"

"Who knows," Watanuki sighed softly. "It could have been a number of things, or just simply something you weren't meant to find. This shop, for the most part, does not control the items that are here, but protects them until their purpose is needed."

Kurogane listened to the exchange, but he kept his eyes closed. The ache in his body started to lessen, but it was still there. Occasionally he winced as something seemed to fix itself somewhere inside of him. He did grunt a little at the affirmation that Fai should have listened to him. Or at least, that's how he took the other man's words. 

"The package." Fai whispered, his head still bowed. 

"I received it. Tell your boss that it's appreciated." Watanuki’s warm smile returned to the man's youthful face, but it for all that it was meant to be comforting, it unnerved Fai. This man knew more than he was letting on. Although that wasn’t what bothered Fai either. It was pretty typical behavior for those with power, and for those bound by magical laws. As a general rule their words were cryptic messages and riddles were common talking points, but this boy, no not a boy, The Time Witch, knew about them specifically. There was an air of familiarity about him and he little show to hide it.

"Then as soon as we're able, we'll leave. We have work to do." Fai said.

"I can't move yet." When Kurogane spoke, his voice was soft. There was a bit of a strain to it, as though he were overcoming laryngitis. His brows furrowed a little with the pain that came from speaking, so he didn't say anything else. He simply opened his eyes and looked at the others. He didn't really care about this conversation, but he didn't want Fai to think they were going anywhere any time soon.

"Don't worry, we're not going anywhere until you can at least get up." Fai smiled, breaking away from his stare down with Watanuki. His eyes were filled with nothing but warmth and concern for the man in is lap. "Just rest, okay." There was also a fair amount of guilt a nasty twinge that haunted the otherwise perfect blue of Fai's eyes. 

Kurogane looked up at Fai, and for a moment he felt like he should say something comforting, but while he knew there was a part of him that didn't want the other man to blame himself, the rest of him relished in that guilty look, and it comforted him almost as much as the hand in his hair had. He nodded a little and glanced over at the other man.

"Does it involve Rosa? Your work." Watanuki looked between the men.

"Huh?" Fai didn’t lift his eyes but he felt that developmental quirk in his ears as they perked up. Fai’s eyes closed, steeling himself. "You know of it?"

"Of course I do. But do you?" At that Fai bent his head up, his face a changed slightly. There was a hardness there that hadn't been just a few moments ago. Something in eyes became more focused, alert. 

"I know it's killing people. I know it's opening pathways and allowing the supernatural to feed more freely on hosts and in some cases it can provided abilities. Assuming the host is already possessed."

"Like flight."

"Like flight." Fai echoed Watanuki. "The bodies falling from the sky. The news reports."

"You've connected them then?" Watanuki's expression remained neutral.

"Didn't take much. Karen did the leg work on it before I was aware it existed. I've seen it though. A dying boy in Italy was granted a longer life." The hand in Kurogane's hair trembled slightly. "Until I had to take it to save ours." 

Kurogane managed enough energy to lift his arm up and rest his hand on the one Fai had in his hair, as though his touch would stop the trembling. "The mosquito...?" He looked up at him.

"Aa." Fai swallowed the around the knot of anger that was rising in his throat. "He was just a kid."

"Only a few years younger than you, Faisan." 

"That doesn't matter!" Fai bit back on his lip and took a deep meditative breath before meeting Watanuki's passive gaze. His calm knowing stare was starting to aggravate Fai. "I also know the drug is being made here."

"Yes. It is. Japan is the perfect place for such thing to be made."

"Why?"

"Japan is a polytheistic country. We have spirits for nearly every part of life. It’s recover of ingredients."

"Ingredients?"

"Kami, oni, yohkai; Rosa is made of essence. The life force of the immortals."

"Wait, you're not telling me it's made of the blood of spirits, are you?" 

Watanuki sighed, pulling the glasses off his face and cleaned the rim on the edge of his shirt before placing them back on his face. "I don't know the details. I only know that I've had friends go missing. I've had spirits seek me out in aid to find their own friends that have been around for centuries who have vanished without a trace. Spirits are creatures of habit Faisan. And yohkai are no exception. Their routines never change unless their paths are disrupted." 

Kurogane's blood ran cold at the explanation, and he unconsciously clutched at Fai's hand. The feeling of dread he felt when Fai walked away from him in the storage room was back, only this time it didn't feel like his body was being crushed. He looked at Watanuki and his brows furrowed. "Are the groups doing this...human?"

"I can't say for sure. I believe it is humans given my limited abilities to do research. My problem is, that I cannot personally investigate it." For the first time since the conversation started, remorse entered those heterochromia eyes. "But what I do know, would lead me to say yes. These are humans. Humans who might not understand the full ramifications of their actions."

"What happens to the ones they take?" Fai asked, his voice distant.

"You know the answer to that." Silence filled the room as the situation sunk in. 

"Then...I will find out whatever I can." Kurogane let go of Fai's hand and slowly pushed himself up. "Is there anything I should have my men look out for...?" He coughed a little as his voice sounded a bit better than before, but not as good as it should be.

"It's not that easy. Kuroganesan." Watanuki stated softly. 

"Your men are human and they operate in a world of just human rules and understanding." Fai continued for him. "They would be at risk. They might even be involved." Fai sighed. "In either case, that would not be much use, other than tipping off the bad guy that we're here and the chances are, if they are involved, they are probably taking Rosa.

"Which makes them dangerous." Watanuki nodded.

"Which makes them dangerous." Fai sighed in agreement.

"But I know how drugs are made..." Kurogane shook his head slightly. "I don't know how these yohkai blood drugs are made, and it doesn't make sense to me, which means it can't be normal like other drugs, right?" The more he spoke, the clearer and stronger his voice became. "I don't understand how blood of something most people don't believe in could impact humans enough to amplify the powers of things most people can't see. So I don't understand how something like that could be treated the same way as plants or chemicals." 

Fai took a swallow of the lemon tea. "Everything is connected to each other. Every interaction people have, every choice made creates a chain or a string, depending on how you envision it, that links a person to a place, a moment, or another being forever. When a host is found by an entity a parasitic relationship forms. The demon then feeds of the host, however very little is gained by the host in this relationship. It feeds the demon and the demon only gets marginally stronger and moves on."

"Over time, through the connects of many hosts, the creature's power can become terrifying." Watanuki chimed in. "But it takes time and a lot of risk. A demon with a host is considered vulnerable. They expose themselves to the human world, where humans can fight them and kill them." As the Time Witch spoke the words Fai waved his hand to himself.

"Since the human gains little to nothing from this relationship, their willingness to keep the relationship is breakable. However, the spiritual creatures like the Japanese Kami...their very nature was derived from human creation. Human will and imagination birthed them into reality. With some theories any way. In other theories it is the gods that birthed humans. A chicken and the egg scenario." Fai looked down at Kurogane, his fingers playing gently with his hair as he continued to speak.

"In either case the bond between these entities and humans is very strong. It's their essence. If..." Fai narrowed his eyes in thought. "If the essence of that power was contained and given back to the host... it opens up a way for a parasitic relationship to become more mutualistic. It creates a chain with no end point, altering the aura of those who ingest it." Fai’s eyes darted to Watanuki for confirmation, seeing no disagreement he continued.

"The demon would then take that opening to attach, allowing the host to have abilities that it might not muster. Increasing the willingness of the host, and thus the strength of the one's who power dwelled in the drug.”

“It all comes down to willpower. Logic would state that those with a weak will are the ones that tend to fall but in reality it’s quite the opposite.” Watanuki pushed his glasses up his nose. “Those with the stronger wills are the ones with ambition, desires, and wishes. It’s the same as the ability for those people to see this shop. And will isn’t always a conscious thing and it’s easily confused. So when host gets latched on to under these circumstances with the aid of a drug, the connection happens quickly instead of over a period of time, the entity becomes stronger. 

“If it can happen almost instantly, it would leave the host without the ability to object." Fai's words came out slowly as if here just putting the pieces together as he spoke, once more his eyes flickered to Watanuki looking for any objection in his hypothesis, actually hoping to find one. But seeing only grim approval Fai sighed out a curse.

Kurogane nodded along with the explanation, as it made enough sense to him that he could absorb the information. His body seemed to be more relaxed and comfortable, and he almost felt like everything was back to normal, but he still didn't pull his head away from Fai's hand. 

"Then..." He glanced at Fai before looking back at Watanuki. "If all of that is true, and a person's will is the most important thing, it should be easy to find and break if one has the right resources." He frowned just a bit. "And if any of my men are involved, they're as good as dead. That's at least one thing I'm good at." His frown deepened. "The process is what bothers me. If the main component is essence, there has to be some way to make essence physical in order to be worked into a drug that can be taken. There must be something about that process that is somewhere in the underground, and very few people are connected to it to the point where that information would be easy to extract. I will put some feelers out."

"Agony." Watanuki whispered. "It would be the fastest way of manifestation for a magically aware person who is not gifted. It’s something all creatures feel. Strong enough to leave a physical, tangible impression. If you think about all the ghost stories you've ever heard the strongest of the phantoms were always ones who's deaths were tragic and painful.

Fai looked up at Watanuki, his face a shade paler than it had been before and his arms came to wrap around himself.

"All right, I'll see what I can find out." Kurogane nodded once before he rested his hand on Fai's arm. "But we should go, before they send someone to come looking for us."

"I agree. I'm at the limit for what I can tell you for your payment." 

"Payment?" Fai blinked.

"The package you delivered. You came here with a level of risk."

"Oh," Fai looked at Kurogane then at Watanuki. "Thank you." He bowed his head. "I hadn't thought..."

"No, and it's okay. I wish to support you to the best of my ability." 

Kurogane slowly got to his feet and looked at the two of them. He had nothing to say, so he remained quiet.

Fai stood up and before he realized it, Doumeki was in the room, offering his arm to Watanuki as the smaller man used him to get to his feet. Questions formed in his head, but he left them there to idle. It was not his business and they had disrupted the shop owner enough. "We can see ourselves out. Don't worry about us."

"Thank you." Watanuki bowed his head, his weight against the other man. "Be safe, both of you."

"Aa." Fai nodded and gently touched the back of Kurogane's hand. "Are you okay to drive?"

Kurogane just bowed his head to the other two men before he looked at Fai and managed a little nod. "I will be fine once we get back to the car."

"Alright. Let's go." In silence the two of them walked back to the car. Fai slipped into the passenger seat and rubbed a hand over his face, and started to tap a finger nail against his tooth. It was a nervous habit he developed some time ago. Oran had always said it was one of his more endearing habits. At the memory, Fai dropped his hand back to lap.

Kurogane got into the driver's seat and rested his hands on the steering wheel. He took a few big breaths before he looked over at Fai. "Hey..."

"Hmm?" Fai looked up at Kurogane before looking back at the window and he somehow seemed to pull in on himself. "I know... it's messed up. We're... this is... I..."

"Well yes, that's fucked up." Kurogane kept his eyes on him. "I was just going to say you should try to compose yourself. My brother will be at the house when we arrive, and he's going to be really annoying because he won't understand that you might potentially be tired. Let me handle it."

"Your brother?" In that moment Fai's world came into stunning clarity. He'd forgotten about Kurogane's brother completely and his role. Slowly his fingers traced the white collar around his neck that felt more like a noose than a disguise. He cleared his throat and closed his fingers into a fist. "Yeah. I'll be okay." 

He pulled one hand from the wheel and took Fai's fist, pulling it down from his neck. "I know you will be, but I'll handle him. Today is not a day you need to worry about him, and I'm not in the mood to listen to him whine, so I will shut it down."

Without thinking Fai pulled Kurogane’s hand up to his face, his lips nuzzling the fingers as he sighed, allowing the contact to relax him but not bothering to question why it did so and enjoying the relief it brought him. He laid his head back against the seat, his blond hair pillowing his cheeks, having come free at some point during the night, and his eyes focused up on Kurogane. "Thank you."

"Aa..." Kurogane cleared his throat a little. "Though if you do that again, we're going to be even later." He started the car and coughed a bit. 

"Hmm. Yeah." Fai sighed sitting straight in the seat. "Let’s get home."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reference Song: 
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> [ The Messanger - Linkin Park](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6etygnUXIWU)
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> Questions, comments, and positive criticisms are always welcome!


	11. Sweet Dreams

“Moving on, let’s talk about Aseliel.” Fai leaned unceremoniously against the altar of the small chapel Kurogane’s father had constructed for him. It was a small repurposed space in the sprawling traditional Japanese home. The room had been used as a storeroom at one point, but had sat unused for several years. The yakuza family cleaned it up, added a dividing wall for Fai to use as a personal space, then added four pews, each able to sit 2 or three people. It was charming and quaint, everything his current pupil wasn’t. Fai’s attention focused on Mantarou, his dark brown eyes were so intense and attentive that the smile on the ‘priest’s’ lips almost came naturally.

Kurogane’s brother wasn’t exactly what Fai was expecting from their first encounter. Sure, he was loud, obnoxious, full of himself, and a murdering drug dealing yakuza prince, but Fai had dealt with far worse. Over the last few weeks, the man had stopped trying to impress Fai. Instead of wearing the flashy tailored suits or stereotypical Hawaiian shirts, which Fai found to be particularly distracting, he had started to opt for simple clothing. Plain t-shirts, jeans, one day he even came in wearing shorts. 

Mantarou was also an active student. When Fai spoke, he could tell the man was absorbing the words like camel would water in the dessert heat. Fai also knew that much like a camel, the information he provided was being stored away in a place that was meant to be used at a later date. Fai just needed to pinpoint the purpose. 

“Aseliel is one of the 31 Aerial Spirits of Solomon. Like the previous demons we spoke of, he is a Chief prince under Carnesiel.” 

Mantarou had been listening intently, but the brief pause before Fai started talking again allowed him to stretch just slightly and lean that much closer, as though even the slightest shift towards the priest was unintentional, but beneficial. "Fascinating." He looked at the priest and nodded once. "Teach me as much as you can."

"Ah, well I figured you might like this one. The idea of Aseliel is in contrast to typical demonic stereotypes." Fai started, pushing away from the altar and down the small step so he stood in front of Shishio.

"He's known for beauty, and all the servants that work under him are also believed to be beautiful." Fai tapped his chin and got a boyishly wicked expression on his face, like that of a child who knowingly swore for the first time and hoped no one was around to hear it. "They are also, the type that act, you know,” Fai blushed, “lovingly; in that way." His voice became softer as if he were afraid to have some else hear it.

"Oh?" Mantarou watched the priest intently, studying his moves, his expression, the way his lips curved when he said those words. Lovingly. The voice that uttered it was so soft, beautiful, whimsical. It made his heart jump a little in his chest, and he leaned forward that much more, this time intentionally. "And what do they do?"

"What do they do?" Fai's brows arched up, in bewilderment. "What do you mean?" Fai of course knew what Mantarou was getting at; there wasn't a doubt in his mind as a healthy, sexually active male. But the young apprentice priest would have no idea what he meant with those words. He would know the concept of carnal lust and the sinful manner of the body, but he would not have a space in his head for illusions and vague speech directed for it. "I mean, some people will conduct ceremonies for him to bring back lovers. Like if your girlfriend or wife left you." 

"Ceremonies?" Now Mantarou was even more interested. "What are they like? Do they work? If they bring lovers back to you, can they make people come to love you?" His eyes focused on the priest's face, and he sat a bit straighter.

"Depends on what you believe in." Fai shrugged his shoulders and sat down beside Mantarou, crossing his knees. "Personally, I don't think it's possible. The heart," He placed a hand over his own chest. "Cannot be altered or claimed. If influenced by an outside source, is that really getting your love back?" Fai turned his eyes up to meet Mantarou's. 

"Even in Scheherazade's stories, Aladdin's gene could not grant that wish. Love is something earned. Not forced." The modest blush returned to Fai's cheeks as he closed his eyes, his expression wistful. "At least. That's what I believe." 

Mantarou shifted an inch closer to the priest when he sat next to him. "I see." He nodded once, watching the other man and the way his cheeks seemed to pink at the conversation. The priest's eyes were closed, and so he took the opportunity to lean in a little closer. "So especially if you never have the love in the first place, there is no ceremony to move someone's heart, then." He whispered. "That's a shame."

Fai shook his head, before turning it to see Mantarou. "There are ceremonies to bind love. Weddings for instance, but love is created by action and interaction." Fai then let out a soft laugh. "Why this interest? It unlike the others you've had until now. There's not even a war story today." Innocent mirth flashed through Fai's eyes like ripples through an endless summer pool.

"Expanding my horizons, that's all." Mantarou made no move to back a little away from Fai, since the priest did not back away either. "In case it might benefit me in the future."

"Oh?" Fai sat up. "Is there someone?" Fai could be so cruel and he knew it.

"Yes."

"Really!" Fai mocked enthusiasm, imitating the very same action he'd seen in high school gossip groups. "Tell me about her! She'd have to be pretty amazing to get your attention considering how busy you are."

The whole exchange made Kurogane's stomach churn. He had been standing in the doorway long enough to see the way Fai purposely enticed Shishio. The subtle shifts in his body, the way he let the other man lean towards him. The fake innocence. All of it. And now Fai was purposely baiting him, and Kurogane needed to step in before he pushed Mantarou too far.

"Well..." The other man started, reaching out as if to take Fai's hand. "They're very special."

"Are you done?" Kurogane walked into the room, his hands in his pockets, and his usual frown on his lips. 

Mantarou pulled his hand back and jumped to his feet. "Aniki!"

"You have somewhere to be now don't you?" Kurogane kept his gaze leveled on his brother.

Fai's eyes widened in shock. "Kuroganesan! I didn't even notice you were here!" But those wide eyes narrowed the second Mantarou turned his back on the blond to address his brother. The younger yakuza was instantly tense, and what played out before him reminded Fai of a nature show he'd watched once. Two young North American wolves circling each other, posture stiff, jaws taught, teeth bared, and ready to snap. However, despite the bravado, the smaller of two wolves just walked away head bowed and tail tucked. It was a perfect mirror to how Shishio moved now. He turned his head and wished a farewell to Fai, snarled at his brother and walked out of the room. It was a direct contrast to how carefree Mantarou had always seemed to be.

"Well that was interesting." Fai said with a sigh, standing up from the pew and stretching his arms above his head.

"You're playing with fire, and if you're not careful, you're going to get burned." Kurogane's frown deepened once his brother was out of the room. "The innocent act doesn't fit you, and the more you entice him, the worse he's going to get." He walked right up to him and looked down at him, eyes narrowed. 

"The more enticed he is, the looser his lips are." Fai countered with a flippant wave of his hand. 

"Or the looser he'll try to make yours." Kurogane grabbed Fai's chin and forced him to look up at him. "Unless you want that?"

"Do you doubt me?" Fai whispered. Other than the tightening of muscles along his jaw his face remained completely neutral. 

"If I doubted you, you'd be dead." He continued to hold Fai's chin. "But that doesn't mean I like or approve of what you're doing. He'll want to be around you more than he already does. I can only make sure he has jobs so often before he starts to get suspicious."

Fai's eyes narrowed slightly at the threat and he jerked his head away from Kurogane's hand. "I'm doing my job. That's all you should worry about." He bit back the snarl in his voice and tried to swallow his agitation which came back as a forced smile on compressed lips. "You should reign in yourself in a bit, Kurogane." Fai sighed. He hated the tension that was building between the two of them and it seemed to get worse with every lesson Fai had with Mantarou. 

"Threatening to kill me won't help us get any closer to our goal, and it's a bit creepy." Fai smirked. "Considering I could just fry you or freeze you." He finished with a haughty stick out of his tongue.

"It wasn't a threat." Kurogane snapped and turned away from him, taking a few steps towards the door. "But since you're calling me the creepy one after that disgusting display, I suppose you'd be better off without me around at all then? Fine. I'll stop giving him work, so he can spend _all_ day and night with you, and you can accomplish your goal faster. Maybe he'll even give you more than what you're hoping for hm? Then you can get a pat on the head for a job well done." He shoved his hands back into his pockets and clenched his fists just slightly, taking a few more steps towards the chapel door. 

Fai blinked at Kurogane's retreating form. Petty words aside, Kurogane was jealous. The realization startled Fai. It wasn't like the mage had any intention of doing anything with Mantarou, and he'd be the first to admit that the game he was playing was cruel, but he didn’t think about how it could affect Kurogane, even if the man knew it was ploy. "You…you're serious." Fai stepped down to him, following his lead. 

"You really are jealous." Wide blue eyes blinked with the declaration. "That's…You..." Fai was suddenly on the large man. Thin arms warped around his shoulders, and legs curled around Kurogane's waist while his face buried itself into his neck. "You're so cute!" Even the shell of Fai's ears had gone pink.

"I am not." Kurogane snapped when Fai clung to him like some sort of living backpack. "I'm just pissed off that you brush my help aside like it isn't doing anything." He unclenched his fists and pulled his hands out of his pockets, lifting them to the legs wrapped around his waist, trying to pry them open so he could get Fai off his back. "Since you only want me to worry about you doing your job, I'll make it super fucking easy for you and just go away. Then you can do whatever the hell you want."

Fai's arms locked on like an iron vice. "I wanna do this!" His lips and nose nuzzled the back of Kurogane's neck. "Kurosama liiiiiiikes meeeee." He sang softly before he settled down into a more serious tone, his chin resting on Kurogane's shoulder, his legs not budging. 

"I appreciate your help. I need him off my back once in a while. And I'm glad to have your eyes with me when I go out into the city."

"But you think I'm creepy." Kurogane sighed a little when he couldn't budge Fai's legs, so he just let the man cling to his back. "If I didn't like you, I wouldn't help you, idiot. But you never seem to want my help or my advice. You think I want you to get hurt or something? You might think my brother is a good student or whatever he acts like around you, but he's not a good person. He's the worst person I know. And he doesn't care who he hurts if it means he gets what he wants. And right now, he clearly wants you."

Fai nuzzled that shoulder and smiled. "I've been challenged by people and creatures far more dangerous than your brother. Have faith that I know what I’m doing. I may not look it, but I'm strong enough to handle him, besides you wouldn't like me if you thought I was weak."

"It's not you I don't trust you know. But if he really is involved in this thing you're investigating, it's what sorts of things he can use on you that I worry about." 

"Use on me?" Fai smiled and finally let his legs slip from around Kurogane and they dangled a few inches off the floor. "What do you think he can use on me that already hasn't been tried?" There was a hint of bitter truth in Fai's voice. "Charms, hexes, curses, whatever you want to call them. Like poison, a tolerance can be built up. Sometimes.” He amended quickly.

"I don't know. I don't know anything about this. You're the expert." Kurogane lifted his hands to touch the arms around his shoulders. "I just know what he can do and what he's done. Plus watching you like that with him makes my stomach churn."

"Making him watch me like that makes mine do the same thing. But his 'interests' are why I was chosen. I'm not the only wizard at disposal in The Guard. But I was trained with a skill set." His arms tightened. "And I'm good at it."

Kurogane felt his whole body tense up with that last bit, but he said nothing. 

"Does that bother you?" Fai whispered the question into Kurogane's shoulder.

"Does it matter?" Kurogane whispered a reply, but there was a slight growl to it.

"It might. It doesn't change things, but it might matter."

"It bothers me."

"I'm sorry. But I don't regret surviving."

"I didn't say you had to." Kurogane carefully pulled Fai's arms from around him, the movement seeming stiff. "You should prepare for dinner. Mantarou will be out all night, so you can at least relax."

"Don't hate me." The words blurted out from the mages lips. "Don't..."

"I don't hate you." The larger man shook his head. "You haven't ever given me reason to." 

"Really?" Fai cocked his head, his tone incredulous. “I haven’t?” 

Kurogane looked over his shoulder at him. "Really. What do you think you did that would make me hate you?"

"Well the whole cloak and dagger thing, and making you lie to your family, mysterious past." Fai lifted a finger on his hand for each point. "I know you're attracted to me, but there's several reasons for you not to like me." Even though the words seemed harsh there was a smile on Fai's lips before he turned back around walked between the pews to a sliding door. His hand resting on it for a second. 

"Though, if it is all just attraction. I think I could be okay with that too. But disappointed." Fai winked over his shoulder and slid the door open to reveal a small bedroom with a western style bed sitting in the center with all the lavish adornments Mantarou though the priest would wish for. Nightstands, lamps, dressers, bulky furniture that seemed garish when mixed with traditional Japanese simplicity. 

Kurogane listened, but he shook his head and turned around, arching a brow when he could see into that bedroom. He rolled his eyes a bit and walked towards him. "First of all, the only one I care about is my father, and you haven't done anything to him or me to make me hate you for that. You also haven't really given me any reason not to like you except for your shameless flirting with Mantarou, which is disgusting, but we went over that." He stepped right up to him and looked over his shoulder. "You should probably send some of that stuff back."

"Isn't it rude to not accept gifts in Japan?" Fai stated in more of a matter of fact manner than an actual question as he began to disrobe. "He would be insulted, and any progress I've made with him will be for nothing. I already know he's interested in summoning circles, and not of the simple kind." 

"Fine. But if he sends you any more, tell him he's already given you more than you should be accepting as a member of the church. Make up some bullshit about materialism. It'll calm him down if he really is interested in you." Kurogane snorted a bit and shook his head. "It won't insult him, and he'll keep asking you about all that stuff, though maybe it's not a good idea to let him know. What is he trying to summon?"

Fai slipped his shirt off his shoulders, and for a moment his eyes look distant. "Nothing good. I can assure you that much. I'm not giving him enough information to do anything damaging. He would need a fair amount of free-flowing water." Fai rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Tokyo is so urbanized, it's hard for me to imagine where he could go for something like that." 

"There...are places. Don't tell him about that part." Kurogane walked over to help him with his shirt, but the act, for now, was completely innocent. "I wouldn't put it past him to find a place pretty quickly."

"I didn't inform of that part. He knew that, among several other things." Fai removed the rest of his clothing as if Kurogane hadn't even been in the room and took up a yukata that was laying neatly on the bed.

"Help me with this, I can never get this part right." Fai slipped the garment on and left it to hang home as he turned to face Kurogane, it was a white with blue flowers printed on to the hem of the sleeves and down to the bottom where the flowers amassed into gentle waves of white and blue. It was a gift from Kurogane's father. A man Fai found himself liking quite a bit. He was strict, but kindly. A man that should never have been in the business of a yakuza, but he took it up with pride and honor and tried to run it the best way he could. It was admirable, and too bad his son Shishio was eager to ruin it all.

Kurogane frowned, but he wordlessly helped him put on the yukata, his hands moving swiftly to make any adjustments necessary. "He already knew...other things too? Maybe you should start feeding him false information." He stepped back once he finished helping the other man with the clothing. 

Fai pulled his hair out from the collar, making another note to get it cut before he shook his head. "If he knew, someone is informing him. If someone is informing him, that means I'm having a battle of wits through your brother. In either case. Do you know of any places where there's been suspicious activity that’s under your family’s umbrella of influence?" 

He frowned a bit and shook his head slightly. "He isn't that smart, so you're right. There's got to be someone else behind this. I'll look into where he's going and who he's talking to, but I don't know if I'll be able to find anything." He reached out and gently touched a strand of Fai's hair, twisting it a bit between his fingers. "As for the other issue, yes, but I'm not entirely sure what yet. There's a warehouse by the pier that has something going on. Seems to be increased production activities. All the groups in the area have an agreement not to surpass certain limits, or they risk starting a war. This particular group is passing their limit. It might be worth checking it out."

"Particular group, huh?" Fai cocked his head, toward Kurogane's hand, enjoying the brief moment of intimacy. " Seems worth checking out." Fai smirked up at him. "How do you feel about a little post dinner exercise?"

"It's better if you don't know which group." Kurogane grinned a little and slowly let go of his hair. "I'm down if you are."

"Good. You've been looking a bit bored lately. And I got some pent-up energy." Fai stretched. "A date would be good for us."

\---

Kurogane sat in the car, parked several warehouses down, but with a good view of their target. His arms rested on the steering wheel, watching a few people walk in and out of the one open door. "You know..." He glanced at Fai out of the corner of his eye. After dinner the smaller man had changed out of the yukata into something tighter and black, though the pale flesh of his stomach was exposed, which seemed a bit silly to Kurogane in this kind of situation. In another one, in the bedroom, sure, but this? "You're going to give us away if you get out of this car. You're so pale."

"Hmm?" Fai flicked the ash of his third cigarette out the car window before he chuckled. "If you have an issue with how I dress take it up with my employer." The smirk on Fai's lips widened to full on grin.

"Well if you want to be sneaky about it, this..." Kurogane sat up and slid one hand over Fai's exposed stomach. "Isn't going to help." 

A shiver of pleasure slid up Fai's nerves at Kurogane's touch and he smiled. "It's not that bad, besides, it gives me more room to move." He purred as he sat up.

Kurogane shrugged and looked back at the warehouse. It seemed like some of the overhead lights were deliberately turned off, as it was difficult to make out much else beyond the movement of people in and out. "Do you want me to go in first?"

“Hmmm.” Fai learned forward and narrowed his eyes. "Just a little longer, I still sense some life forces in-" Fai blinked a few times. "They're… gone?" Like something hitting a switch, all signs of life disappeared. For just a second a warning flag flared up in Fai’s mind, but he also wasn’t sure when they would get another chance like this. Between all the other things the mage had to do for his undercover job, they were already running on what felt like borrowed time.

"Alright," Fai stepped out of the car, stretching his arms over his head. “I don’t feel anything, let’s go.” 

"Last one there-" Without another word Fai took off with a jump. Natural cat like athletics combined with years of training made his leaps over dumpsters and the dives under pallets seem like nothing more than child's play before he rested himself up against the wet brick of the building, the dried salt from the ocean spray making the texture of it uncomfortable and grainy. 

"Idiot." Kurogane shook his head as Fai darted off, closing up the car and shoving his hands into his pockets as he casually strolled towards the building. Kurogane's presence wouldn't be unusual here, even at this time of night. He often came to meet with members of other groups, and he often checked on their businesses because it usually enhanced his own. After all, people tended to need loans when drugs were involved.

So he walked through the darkness, eyes narrowing as he stepped closer to the warehouse. He thought Fai didn't sense anything, but there were still a few men about. He frowned and hurried, ducking against the side of the building next to Fai and whispering. "There are still people there."

"Aa." Fai's eyes narrowed and he reached out his senses again but nothing came back to him. 

"I'm still not feeling them but," Fai worried his lip and looked around the place. There were windows about a story up. "We can't just walk in the front door. Or can we, Mr. Big shot?"

"We can, but only because there's only one door." Kurogane frowned a bit. "The bay is shut, and while it doesn't look like it from out here, those windows are blocked. If they don't have bars on them behind the glass, they certainly have something rigged up to prevent people from getting in."

"Well then. After you." Fai dramatically waved his hand for Kurogane to take the lead. "I'll leave the humans to you."

Kurogane grunted, but he moved. His steps quiet, and he slid along the wall until he ended up behind one of the two standing by the door. He quickly incapacitated the first one with a swift blow to the head, and before the second could react, Kurogane got him too, arms around his neck, choking him out until he sank to the ground with a soft thud.

Fai came out of the shadows with a soft whistle of approval. "Well that was easy. I envy you. Didn't even break a sweat." Fai stepped over the unconscious forms and put his hand on the door, slowly pushing it open. 

The building was smaller than most on the pier, but it was nondescript and easily passed over. It was the perfect spot to be smuggling in all kinds of illicit materials, but the building was dark and the moonless night wasn't helping things. 

Fai whispered something softly and took his middle and index finger across his eyes leaving a barely visible shimmer in front of them. Fai's vision lit up and he saw the rows of crates as if they were sitting in the midday sun. "I'm not sensing anything in particular here. Is there a basement?" Fai figured there wouldn't be. The cost of creating a below sea level basement on a pier would be extravagant and not something likely to fall off any government radar. 

Still Fai walked into the room, his foot falls soft against the wood flooring as he touched a crate. "What are they transporting?" 

"No." Kurogane slid in behind him and looked around, narrowing his eyes a little as though that would help him see better in the darkness. It didn't. "Drugs." He whispered. "How much? I don't know."

Fai gave Kurogane a slide long look. "Well we are looking for drugs." Fai kept the discomfort out of his voice. He didn't particularly care for the fact that his current partner was heavily embedded in the drug trade, and he preferred to think it was something out of Kurogane's hands rather than having any direct involvement. However, a yakuza was a yakuza. Fai knew that from the start, it would be a low blow to start judging him now.

"So let’s see what we have here. Do you mind?" Fai waved his hand over a crate.

"I don't mind. It's not my group." Kurogane shrugged and pried open the crate Fai put his hands on. "If this group is still following the agreement, it should be heroin." He pulled the top off the crate and frowned. Sure enough, there were bricks of the stuff, and he grumbled. "Which it is. But there's definitely too much in here if all of the crates are the same as this one." He put the top back on the box, but didn't bother nailing it back down. 

Fai took an instant step back and behind Kurogane, his hand against his shoulder and his other hand covering his mouth like a hypochondriac afraid to catch a disease. "This much?" He hissed in a whisper, but then Fai froze, his fingers gripping Kurogane's shirt. While his magical senses were fritzing out on him, his natural ones were sending flares up all around them. 

"We should get out of here," Fai whispered knowing it was too late as he heard the mass of foot-steps landing heavily outside the warehouse. 

"Damnit!" Fai pulled Kurogane down as the first round of shots fired into the warehouse, kicking up bits of wood. 

"Idiots! Don't just randomly fire!! You'll hit the crates!" A gravelly voice yelled.

"Fuck." Kurogane muttered as he was pulled down. "I should have known there'd be more." He mentally scolded himself for being an idiot, but he still pulled his gun out from his body holster, glancing around and frowning. "It's too fucking dark. Stay by the crates and use them for cover. We'll have to clear to the door."

Fai nodded his head and readied a spell in his hand as he dashed below a hail of more properly aimed bullets to slip behind another stack of crates. "How many of them are there?" Fai watched as the men poured into the room, two at a time filling the front with more than a dozen men in suits and with fully automatic weapons. 

"I thought guns were illegal in Japan!" Fai spit out instead of the string of curses that were on the tip of his tongue. 

The mage pushed his hand out pressing the men back with an invisible force field. Guns fell to the ground in a clatter as the suited men were pushed hard against wall followed by a cacophony of cracking bones. 

"They are." Kurogane muttered as he shot one of the guys who was aiming for them. There was no way he was going to be able to take many of these guys out with his handgun. At least the one guy was down, his gun clattering to the floor when the body hit, but another just came and took the man's place. 

"Tch. Too many." He muttered and shot another, glancing at the men Fai had knocked to the ground. None of them were dead, though some of them clearly had broken limbs. That didn't seem to bother any of them as the whole group of them lurched back up, some of them with arms hanging limply or even somewhat backwards, legs not able to hold much weight, so they buckled, but the men kept standing, and kept moving towards them as if they felt no pain at all. "What the fuck?" He felt the hair on the back of his neck stand on end as those bodies moved towards them, and it felt like heavy lead lumped into his stomach. If these things only stopped moving with a headshot, one magazine wasn’t going to do it. They needed to clear a path and get out of there fast.

Fai swallowed and stepped back. Light sparked into life on his hands as he readied another force attack. One more arch of power would do it. Fai raised his hand up, energy arching between his fingers. A gun shot rang in his ears deafening him to everything but a dull ring. Fai’s eyes darted to the body of the man that Kurogane just downed, and he watched blood pool from the bullet hole in his head. It felt so close, and given Fai's altered vision he could see the cracked bits of bone and brain matter tangled in the mess of meat on the exit wound in the back of the man's head, and then more so spackled on the unmoving face of the man who was behind him. 

Fai felt bile start to rise in his stomach but he shook his head and focused. One more wave should end all of this, Fai reminded himself, it would clear the room and probably kill the majority of the men. Humans were unfortunately very soft, and that’s what these people were. Humans. The sparks on Fai’s fingers fizzled and died out. He couldn’t do it. He couldn’t knowingly kill an unaware person. Slaying a dying human was one thing. Killing a perfectly fine yet 'influenced' person was a whole different issue. These men weren’t themselves. These men weren’t people that wanted to die. These men were forced into a state of nothing. This wasn’t a choice they made for themselves and there was always a way to comeback from that and these men were moving in on them in amassing numbers. Kurogane's glock only putting a dent in the first wave and still more were coming. 

“Ack!” Fai suddenly cried out, pulled out of his thoughts as he felt a tug on his ankle then a strong pull which threw him to his back. Hand wrapped around his legs, pulling him into the mass of downed but not killed suited men. 

Fear started to grow inside the mage, and it did so with intensity with every pull and drag of fingers against his leg. His body thrashed and his foot making contact with more than one jaw, yet the men were not discouraged, it was as if they lacked the capacity for pain. Without a conscious thought the mage yelled out the first thing to come to mind. "Kurogane!" 

"Fuck! Why aren’t you doing anything!" Kurogane whipped around and grabbed Fai, pulling him against his chest and shooting the men who grabbed him, not even flinching at the brain and blood mess that splattered, he held onto Fai, shooting until that tell-tale click of an empty weapon sounded. He muttered another curse again and pulled out his knife. 

If Fai wasn't putting the bastards down, he would have to try to do it himself, even if he wasn't going to win this one. They definitely weren’t going to win this one. There were too many of them. They were fucked. There was no way he could cut through the crowd of deformed men that was now standing between the two of them and the only exit, and he didn’t have enough time to dive and grab one of the guns on the floor before the two of them would be riddled with bullets. The only thing keeping them alive right now was the stacks of crates around them. Even shitty men wouldn’t shoot their own merchandise.

Fai clutched on to Kurogane's shirt; his eyes were wide as he watched the one-man carnage Kurogane's aim brought about the room, but it still wasn't enough. Fai pressed his back against Kurogane, as men got through the front line Fai would kick them back or at least try to knock them out with well-aimed physical assault to the head, but it didn’t seem to matter. More kept coming, shambling like zombies over the bodies of their comrades. Puddles of blood and gore making the steps sounds like sticky mud. They were coming in at them from all sides, closing the circle on the two of them to the point where Fai could smell aftershave wafting up from one their attackers. Fai’s eyes rapidly darted about the room, looking for something, anything, to use. He was trying to calm the panic in his mind but every shuffle and clack of a gun kept snapping him out of focus.

Screams and gurgled cries twisted Fai’s head back around and what he saw play out before him was a scene out of a horror. Black wings clouded Fai's vision before it became a void of pitch colored lightening that streaked through the room. It arched from every man present, leaving behind a headless corpse to drop to the floor as soulless eyed skulls rolled until they stuck in the ichor of the floor. Standing in the center of it all was a tall slim man. He stood impassively, a frown on his handsome features as he pushed a pair of wire rimmed glasses up his nose. On his shoulder came to rest a black crow, it's form distorting once or twice before completely coming to rest.

"Sakurazukamori." Fai whispered, his voice trembling.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reference Song: 
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> [ Sweet Dreams - Emily Browning](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wJw5NzrLHz4)
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> Questions, comments, and positive criticisms are always welcome!


	12. Interlude III

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kuromori (Fai) here. I would like to apologize for the long wait. Over the winter I became sick (nothing major just bad luck) very often and my brother passed away due to cancer so I didn't feel much like writing for awhile. For those that stayed with us and are reading this now, you have my gratitude for sticking with us as we get back into the swing of things. 
> 
> Remember, please don't be shy and comment below. We love to know what's on your minds. What's working, what's not working (just be constructive in your criticisms!)

Kurogane sat on the veranda, watching the sky light up with hues of pink and purple as the sun sank below the horizon. It was that same sky he often looked into as a kid. The colors were brighter than he remembered, but of course, memory was a funny thing. They had been back in Suwa for a while now, but yet he still couldn’t look around without pangs of emotions from a lifetime ago. At first it had been mostly anguish and sadness, but Fai’s presence made it better, and now he tended to feel more nostalgic than anything.

There was a slight chill in the air now, but this morning the weather had been just about perfect for a wedding. He hadn't wanted to let his daughter go, but he suffered through it like any good father would. Having Fai suffer with him made it a little more bearable. 

And now the blond was laying on the veranda, his head in Kurogane's lap, his hair fanning out, contrasting the black of the larger man's formal kimono. Kurogane ran his fingers through Fai's hair gently so as to not wake him, and he sighed as the sky darkened. He knew he was getting older, and he knew that some of the younger men around here didn't necessarily believe he was as strong and well-bodied as the stories had said, but he didn't think some of them would be so brazen as to proposition Fai while he was standing right there, as though he didn't matter.

And it was through some sort of divine grace that he hadn't murdered anyone today. It wasn't the day for that. It was supposed to be a day of happiness and celebration. So, he just gritted his teeth and watched Fai reject them all too politely. And now the mage was sleeping as though nothing had happened, and all Kurogane could do was stroke his hair and watch the sun give up on the day. At the very least, the monotony of it all was calming him, and it was a good reminder that Fai was his, and he would not leave him. But Kurogane couldn't help grow more insecure the more his hair changed from black to gray.

A dried broken leaf flittered down from a distant tree, caught up in an early autumn wind, only to rest perfectly on the tip of Fai's nose. Fai, in his sleep, didn’t appear to care about random set of events occurred to make such landing possible. Instead of marveling about the odds, that gently pointed nose scrunched up in irritation. Followed by a tell-tale curling of his lips before a sneeze violently wracked through his body. 

"Hmm..." Fai nuzzled his head back against Kurogane’s lap, trying and failing to get back to sleep so he opened one curious eye, then another. They were as blue as a clear winter sky, clouded only by memories and never by age, no matter how much time would pass they continued sparkle with life and with mischievous joy. Beyond all that, was a warmth that circumvented the icy blue, and inherit kindness coupled with a gentleness that someone who’d seen a litany of horrors had no business having. 

"Hey. I fell asleep huh?" Fai’s pale hand reached up to stroked the old ninja's cheek, before his fingertips traced the edges of Kurogane’s hairline. It was a ritual Fai did every morning he woke up, his fingers always questing, always touching, always seeking the warmth and affirmation that his lover was still there.

"Of course you did. You usually do." Kurogane's eyes drifted shut at those gentle touches to his face. "If you didn't wake up, I wasn't going to let you sleep much longer. The sun has set. It'll be colder soon."

"I needed to unwind after today. Everything went perfectly. Umeko was beautiful. Kyaaa!" Fai placed his hands on his cheeks as though he could barely contain his parental joy. "Papa is so proud!"

Kurogane shook his head. "Perfectly? Sure..." His voice trailed off and he looked back out at the sky, his eyes seeming to go a bit distant as he stared at nothing.

"Kurosama?" Fai pushed himself up and twisted to his side to see the man’s face.

"Hm?" He looked at him, that distant look gone. "Let's go inside."

"Aa. I don't mind the cold though." While it was true that Fai had been fairly spoiled by the temperate weather, his body was still climatized to much colder extremes, and the gentle autumn chill was barely a tickle against his senses. 

"But I suppose…" Fai hopped up to his feet in a single motion of feline agility and reached down to offer a hand to Kurogane. "Shall we?"

"Well if you'd rather stay out here, don't let me stop you." Kurogane looked at Fai's offered hand, but shot him a look and pushed himself up on his own. He shook his head and walked past him, into the house, muttering under his breath that he wasn't that old, and it was bad enough everyone else treated him like a geezer.

Fai looked down at his hand as though it were a separate entity from himself that had betrayed him, then up at Kurogane. "Oi! I didn't mean it that way!" Fai gripped his arm and turned toward him. "I didn't. You know that right?"

"Of course I know." Kurogane sighed and didn't turn his head even as Fai turned him. "I'm just being cranky."

"Why?" Fai cocked his head and soothed hand over Kurogane's arm. Fai knew why, of course he knew why. You don't spend over 30 years with a person and not start to figure out what makes them tick. "Those men tonight. They were nothing. Just foolhardy kids."

Kurogane snorted. "It's because you treat them like they're just foolhardy is why they keep doing what they do." He pulled his arm away and continued inside.

"Alright." Fai sighed and folded his arms across his chest and poised one hip to the side. "What would you have me do?”

Kurogane shrugged as he walked into the bedroom and started to change out of his formal clothing. "Be a little more aware."

"Aware of what?" Fai stalked after the retreating man and closed the door behind them.

"The nicer you are to them, the more they do it. The more of a fool they think I am" Kurogane muttered and sat on the futon once he was changed. 

"They don't think you're a fool." Fai shook his head while he tapped elegant fingers on crook of his folded arm. "They think I'm the fool. They think because they flirt with me, I'm going to risk everything I have for a night with them. Besides, they're drunk and filled with false courage. And those that aren’t drunk probably think I’m an exotic woman." Fai tapped that some finger against his lips, obviously trying to make light of the situation. "Though I don't think I look that womanly. Honestly. I look nothing like the women around here."

Fai continued to rambled on as he undid the obi around his waist. The room was filled with the gentle whispers of silk and satin as the layers of his kimono opened and slipped off his slender shoulders and into a pile on the floor. His arms reached up to pull away any blinds or clips allowing the blond waves to cascade down, where his ends barely dusted the small of his back. 

"The way I see it. I should be insulted." 

"They absolutely think I'm a fool." Kurogane shook his head and looked up at him, watching his back as he changed. "If they didn't, they'd stop offering me money for you, or making comments loud enough for me to hear. Especially today. Especially knowing I wouldn't do anything to ruin the ceremony. And you being nicer to them just stuck the knife in a little more." He sighed and laid back, looking up at the ceiling. "I get it. I'm old. I'm unattractive and useless now. You're wasting your time on a cranky man like me."

There was shift of fabric as Fai stepped out the cloth puddle on the floor followed by the weight of a body straddling Kurogane's hips. The image of the ceiling before Kurogane was taken up by the face of a very agitated mage, who was also very naked. "Since when do you care what other people think?"

Kurogane looked up at him and shook his head a little, sighing and resting his hands on those very naked hips. "It's not that. It's that it gets tiring hearing it all the time. And I know it's because I won't retaliate because it's not worth it, but it doesn't make it any less annoying."

"Well then. Lord it over them." Fai smirked, moving his hips a little watching Kurogane's expression as he did so. "This 'exotic mage'," Fai started in a haughty mockery of the dialect of the upper courts. "Belongs to none other than the great and powerful Kurogane. Protector of Time and Space. Confidant of the Time Witch himself. Lord and Rebuilder of the great and prosperous lands of Suwa" Fai smirk turned into a grin. "You are much more around here than you give yourself credit for. I on the other hand, appear to be nothing more than the sum of my parts*

The larger man's eyes half closed when the movement started, but then he opened them again and looked up at him. "I didn’t do all that… and your value is much higher, and you know that as well as I do."

"I know. My value appears to be based on the prospect of a nightly acquisition." Fai ground his hips a little more against Kurogane's waist. He knew what he could do to this man and during moments of the former ninja turned Lord’s self-doubt he had no qualms about flipping the switch and the older Kurogane got, the easier it became, Fai's immortal seeming youth only turning him on more. "Word must have gotten out."

"Not from me... " Kurogane practically moaned out the words, his fingers digging slightly into the mage's hips, but not hard enough to bruise. "Your value to me... Is worth more than that." He arched up a bit.

"Is it?" Fai bent his body forward. "What's my value right now?" He purred, sliding his hand down Kurogane’s board chest. 

"Priceless..." The larger man breathed. 

"Oh?" Fai nuzzled his face into the space between Kurogane's jaw and neck while his hand pushed his robe open so he could touch flesh to flesh. "Sounds expensive." Fai kissed the sensitive flesh of his collar, then trailed his tongue up to his ear before he allowed his breath to tease the dampened flesh. His hips continued to move in tormenting slow rotations as Fai pulled Kurogane closer, trapping his sex against his own and pressing them both flush to his stomach.

"Nnn. Well you have cost me a lot." Kurogane grinned, but his eyes were dark and somewhat glassy as his body arched to rub against Fai. 

"An arm. But not the leg, yet." Fai chuckled then moaned into the other's ear. 

"Yes, an arm. But also, my perpetual bachelorhood." Kurogane moaned and his body moved more. "My anger and sadness."

"Well I stole those other things. Along with your rigid virginity. No complaints, that was the fun one."

"Well you make me rigid quite often." He grinned.

"A talent." Fai bit Kurogane's ear. 

Kurogane grunted and arched, climaxing against Fai at that bite.

"Mm, see?" Fai's soft voice purred low and sweet into Kurogane's ear. "You did this just from a bit of fiction. Still full of virility if you ask me."

Kurogane snorted. "My virility wasn't in question, was it?" He closed his eyes and let his hands drop from the other man's hips. "You should know better than anyone what you do to me."

"Drive you crazy. In all the fun ways." Fai kissed his jaw, then his cheek, and despite their state of undress and his own arousal, still pressed against Kurogane's hip, he gave him a chaste kiss to his lips.

"You drive me crazy in other ways too, you know." Kurogane grinned against Fai's lips before he kissed him, making it hotter than the chaste little kiss he just received, and as he did that, he slid his hand from one of those white hips to the heat between them, curling his hand around him and moving it slowly. "I do the same to you, don't I?"

"Ah." As Kurogane’s rough calloused fingers in circled Fai’s sex, a thrill shot through him. Pulses of liquid hot fire starting from his groin and traveling to every nerve ending in his body. "You know what you do to me." Fai’s voice was slurred by a sudden and fast desire.

"I know." Kurogane grinned and leaned up to kiss him, his hand moving a little faster.

"Aa! Nn." Fai clenched his teeth, years of raising children taught him to keep his voice in check, but those children weren’t here anymore. Umeko was gone living her own life with her husband, and their son, Yuuta was at the capital getting the type of education every future lord needs to have. Their house was empty, no one would be around to hear the naughty desperate pitches to Fai’s voice, or pick on the begging need of his whimpers 

"Aaah!" Fai let his voice out, pitched and mewled as it was.

Kurogane's hand moved more, his eyes darkening as if that sound only encouraged him more. "Show me..."

"Aaan!!" Fai's fingers gripped Kurogane's shoulders as he pulled himself against him, his breath and moans becoming one endless exaltation of pleasure. "Kurogane!!" Fai cried his lover’s name as he came his spine bowing back as far as his position would allow. When his body relaxed he carefully sat up, and nuzzled into Kurogane's neck.

Kurogane pulled his hand back from Fai's pleasure and wrapped his arms around him, holding him close. "Good."

"Are you finished with me? The sun just set. The night is young and there's a few more flask of Sake to drink." Fai cuddled his face in more, his kisses to his neck were numerous and feather light.

Kurogane shook his head slightly and kissed the top of his head. "My liver isn't what it used to be, and I  
I'd much prefer to be sober for the rest of this."

"Oh." Fai blushed, knowing what that meant. "I won't be getting much sleep then?"

"No. Not much at all." Kurogane grinned and kissed him.

"Well then, Lord Suwa," Fai purred the man's title "Might as well get started. You know how much I hate to be kept waiting." Fai's fingers teased as they brushed across Kurogane's jaw, his body sliding off him in a sinuous bend of his back as he laid himself upon the futon. Mischievous eyes meeting Kurogane's as those very fingers moved to caress his own lips, down his own neck, then over the finely defined muscles of his own chest. It was a delicate manipulation, a gentle seduction, allowing Kurogane's eyes to focus on something as innocent as a fingertip and then bring that focus down over his pale, vulnerable, and flushed skin. 

"Oh? Then maybe I should make you wait. You seem to be doing just fine without me." Kurogane watched Fai's movements, and he grinned a little playfully, but only to keep his expression as light as he could. His own joke stemmed from a very deep, dark place inside of him. One that kept him up at night lately, and today's festivities only made it that much darker. But he wouldn't let Fai know his struggle, so he leaned down and kissed him, his own hand resting over the blond's, replacing the touch of that slender finger with one of his own.

Fai's laugh chimed through the bedroom and his body shifted as though we were being tickled. "Without you it wouldn't be as fun. Kurosama makes everything more exciting." He kissed the salt and peppered haired man and released his lips with a shiver. 

"Your hands feel better than mine. Their bigger, rougher. You spoil me too much, see?" Fai showed Kurogane the pads of his hand. "See? Too smooth."

"Are you complaining then? Should I stop spoiling you?" Kurogane leaned down and kissed him.

"Spoil me. I've gotten used to it." Fai licked at Kurogane's nose. "Like an over fed house cat. You're stuck with me."

"Hm..." Kurogane lowered his head and started kissing Fai's neck, mostly to hide any distance that came back to his eyes. He continued to please his lover, almost more earnestly than normal, as if that would keep his emotions at bay.

As dawn spread its grey light into the room, Fai's body curved one last time, frozen in an erotic arch of tight muscle and pale flesh before he fell forward into the futon, panting and dazed. "I… I can't any more Kurosama." Fai whispered, his voice, already horse, muffled partly by the pillow, the rest was made incoherent by what little energy the mage could put into his words.

Kurogane looked down at Fai, the sheen of sweat over his entire body, his chest heaving as he panted a bit. "Then rest." He managed between breaths, slowly easing himself next to the smaller man, laying on his back so Fai could curl against him if he wanted to like he usually did. "Sleep all day if you need to..." He whispered.

"Mm... Kurosama is always so full of stamina." With Fai's last bit of effort, he lifted himself up to lay his head against Kurogane's chest, the rest of his body pressed against the bigger man’s flank.

Kurogane shook his head and kept one arm around him, looking up at the ceiling and sighing. Sure, he was full of stamina now, but only because he pushed himself. He could feel the muscles in his back protesting all that vigor, and he knew he would be paying for it tomorrow. But it was just one more thing he would remain quiet about. One more thing he would never let Fai know. "Sleep." He whispered.

"Like you need to command me." Fai's stubborn retort trailed off into soft breathing and the weight of sleep pressed his body more into Kurogane's. 

Kurogane sighed again as soon as he was sure Fai was asleep. He kept his gaze on the ceiling, staring at it even as his vision started to blur, tears in his eyes, though he wasn't sure if they were from exhaustion or something else. He listened to the even breathing of the man at his side, and he sighed once more. How much longer could he keep this up? He wasn't so old that he couldn't give Fai the physical attention he needed, but he could no longer keep up with him like he used to. Each day, each month, he was becoming acutely aware of how little time he had left with the other man.

It worried him. Not about himself, but he worried about Fai. Kurogane's inevitable death was getting closer, and there was nothing he could do to prevent it. There was nothing he could to do keep Fai from feeling that pain of losing him, or that pain of loneliness once he was gone. 

He shouldn't have ever started this. But he was young, and he just wanted to be with someone he loved. He never thought about the consequences then. He just relished in their happiness. They had a good time. They laughed, and loved, and cried together. They changed, they grew, they raised children together. Now Kurogane could do nothing but think of those consequences. The happiness was still there, but it was muted by the fear that Fai would hurt himself once Kurogane wasn't there to stop it. But he couldn't let Fai know any of it. He wouldn't. He wanted to ensure that he brought as much peace and happiness to the other man as he could because he knew his own suffering would be nothing compared to the suffering he would put Fai through. He hated himself for it. 

Kurogane pulled Fai a little closer, finally turning his gaze from the ceiling, pressing his face into that blond hair. A few tears leaked out before he closed his eyes, and he whispered. "I'm sorry."


	13. Cry Out

"Sakurazukamori…” 

The tall, lean man said nothing in acknowledgement to Fai and only scratched under the chin the appreciative aves form, which rested on his shoulder. 

Kurogane watched the violence, grateful that he and Fai were spared from it. He continued to hold the mage close to his chest, turning a little to shield him from the source of the violence, but Fai's voice, the word, caused his entire body to tense up. This was not someone he ever wanted to meet, having only ever seen the aftermath of the violence he had just witnessed firsthand. 

"Seishirou will suffice." Seishirou finally said after he dismissed the familiar into a plume of smoky feathers. "No need to stand on such formalities between coworkers, isn't that right Fai?"

Fai's stomach continued to roll, though it had little to do with the blood, and what could only be described as human meat, pooling and congealing on the warehouse floor. No, his senses had already grown accustomed to the sight and smell. It was the expression on the man who created the horror. He was smiling. It wasn’t just any smile. It was a calm, complacent smile, accompanied by apathetic lightless eyes. Those eyes, one blind and bereft of color looked him over, as though he too were little more than a corpse. Fai did what he could to not balk away from the chill of his gaze; peering behind the thinly framed glasses. The lenses making even the smallest glint of fading light seem like a devil’s warning.

"What are you doing here?" Fai stepped away from Kurogane, forcing his voice to be stronger than he felt.

"Saving you. It would seem. Still haven't gotten over that little quirk of yours, I take it." Seishirou said.

"They weren't even possessed! Why would I kill them!?" Fai’s voice was bitter and hot.

"Because they were going to kill you. Your friend here understood that." Seishirou clicked his tongue. "Stop acting petulant, it doesn’t suit you. Gratitude is more becoming on that face." He gripped Fai’s jaw between his forefinger and thumb, tilting his head up. The grasp looked light, almost gentle, but the wince on Fai’s face expressed the contrary. 

"Perverted vet." Fai snarled with a jerk of his head.

Kurogane snorted a little, clearly displeased by the exchange, so he distracted himself and crouched to pick up one of the guns that had fallen to the floor by his feet. He made a point of looking it over before crouching to pick up another one. "They weren't really alive either, were they? I mean they were, but not like us." He shook his head. "Like those shows about the dead that move."

With one lingering smirk at Fai, Seishirou turned his attention to Kurogane. "They were very much alive. Charmed though. Veiled their lifeforce to the point where even I had a problem sensing it." He walked over to one of the disembodied heads and pulled a ring from its ear. 

"Enchanted metal. Silver. It can cloak the body from magic if used correctly and," he closed his fist and opened it once more. “This…” Whatever appeared in Seishirou’s hand was too small for Fai to see so he took a few cautious steps forward. 

In the metal dust of the ring was a small tab. "What is-"

"Something to stop the pain. Or stop the ability to care about the pain.” Black leather gloves held the tab up to the light, Seishirou’s other hand pushed his glasses up to his forehead as he examined the material. 

“Pure adrenaline.” Seishirou said after a time. “It makes a person mindless if fed right into the blood stream." He wiped his hands together, ridding it of the dust and discarding the tab before he looked sidelong back at Fai. "You can't continue to be so useless."

“Careful, it’s almost sounding like you care.” Fai snapped, his fingers closing into tight fists. 

"That would be a pity, I couldn’t let something like that get around.” Seishirou shrugged dismissively before he looked to the only other still living occupant of the room. “Your name, if you’re done scavenging the corpses.” 

Kurogane had been listening to the conversation, and he just muttered under his breath, "I like my version better." He grabbed a third gun before he looked at the Sakurazukamori. "Kurogane. And is there a problem with me taking these?"

"No," Seishirou waved his hand. "I can appreciate a man who will take advantage of a situation for a level of personal gain." 

"Insurance is more like it” Kurogane looked over at Fai. "The cops will probably be here soon, and if not them, then it'll definitely be the higher-ups for this group, so we need to leave." He looked at Seishirou again. "Thank you for the help." He bowed his head a little. As long as he was on this man's good side, he’d be as polite as possible in order to stay there. 

Seishirou nodded his head to him and then back to Fai. "What you’re looking at is not something that was going out. These are all marked for import. You should be able to figure out how this all ties in. And I shouldn’t have to remind you of this, but do not touch it. Who knows how much of the powder you’ve inhaled already."

Fai’s bowed his head, which lulled to the side, eyes narrowed at the previously opened crate. Did he know what it meant? Did he understand the consequences of mind altering drugs in his body? Yes of course, and it made the twisting in his stomach drop like lump of solid cold steel. "Burn it." He whispered in a low hiss.

“I'll leave that kind of work to you." The comment earned the Sakurazukamori a glare from Fai, and the look bought the mage a frustratingly passive smirk. "Eventually you'll have to learn how to get your hands dirty, Priest."

"I've done plenty."

"Spare me. You've done what you could to stay in the shadows. You play it safe. Killing people that are already dead isn’t dirtying your hands. It’s tying up loose ends. You won't stain your conscience by convincing yourself you’re doing someone a favor, nor will you stretch your morals too far. You play ‘damaged soul’ well, but that will only get you so far. Though it isn’t without its amusing qualities. You always appear with someone to hide behind." Seishirou turned his eyes to Kurogane. 

Kurogane's eyes narrowed a bit. "This shouldn't be a group that imports anything... " He muttered and checked the crate for any clues, ignoring the rest of the conversation.

"Your 'concern' is noted." Fai said in a huff grateful that Kurogane was nonplussed about what was happening between the two mages. "But I don't need babysitting." 

"So, you say." Seishirou’s brow arched as he turned back to the young mage. “You’re too emotional. All the potential in the world and its bottled up in a shell, locked down by perpetual teen angst.” He moved closer to Fai until the space between them barely allowed the younger man’s chest the expanse required to breath. “Though in fifty years, maybe a hundred years, if you live that long...I’m impatient to see what you will become.” A gloved finger stroked over the fine edge of Fai’s jaw. The muscles under the mage’s pale flesh tightened and clenched as he bared white teeth. Their breath released in white puffs and Seishirou smirked as he felt his ears pop due to pressure of the sudden decline in the room’s temperature. 

“Too emotional indeed.” The black dressed man stepped a few paces back, the warehouse warming in degrees per distance. “You should get going. There’s plenty of work that needs to be done, and your time is becoming limited.” Before Fai could comment any further, Seishirou had vanished just as swiftly had he come, leaving behind the delicate scent of cherry blossoms. 

"Kurorin. We should go." Fai stood where he was, his fist tight at his side as his knuckles flushed red, then white with the force he used to hold them shut. Fire erupted in the center of the room and his eyes glittered with the reflection of hellish light. The flame pulled in on itself. Fire rolled within the tight pressurized confines of a sphere. Orange and red bled into pure white as the potential energy coalesced and heated the flames. “This place is going to be a blast zone in a few minutes."`

The light from the ball of fire caused Kurogane to look up from the crate. "All right..."He blinked when he noticed the other man was already gone. He just hadn't been paying attention enough to notice when it happened. He quickly grabbed a few more of the guns and stepped over the bodies to get to the door, turning to look at him. "You should hurry." He had noticed the odd expression on Fai's face 

Fai nodded, matching pace with Kurogane’s retreating form as he caught up to him. "It’s like a time bomb. As soon as I'm a certain distance away, it’ll go off." They ran to the car. Fai’s typical feline grace abandoned him in his haste as his foot unexpectedly slipped and forced him to fall into the car. He righted himself, and absolved himself of looking down at his shoes, unwilling to see the evidence of what made him slip. Instead he leaned his head back against the stiff black leather interior and sunk into his seat.

Kurogane moved swiftly, guns and all, which he somehow carefully but hastily tossed into the trunk before he got the car started and sped out of there like a bat out of hell.

Fai arched his head back over the seat to see the destruction he was about to create. The warehouse got smaller as Kurogane sped along the pier-lined street, Fai watched, through the warehouse windows, as each pane of glass became aglow in brilliant orange and white light until it became blinding. There was deafening rumble followed by the crash of buildings crumbling into the wharf and everything disappeared into steam, waves, and billowing black smoke. Fai tightened the lids of his eyes and shut out the decimation, settling back into his seat just as they drove onto main artery of the city. His arms came up and held his elbows as if it could protect him sensation of his magic releasing. He wanted to get home, to wash away the night, and to sink into whatever surface would have him.

Kurogane drove, gripping the wheel a bit. "So, what the fuck was that?"

Fai stayed silent for a long moment before simply stating, his body and head turned out the window. "Later..." 

Kurogane clenched the wheel until his knuckles went white, but he said nothing the rest of the drive. He said nothing as he got out of the car, slammed the door, opened the trunk, and took out all the guns. He remained silent as he slammed the trunk shut too and walked into the house.

“That defeats the purpose of sneaking around." Fai said dryly under his breath as he lifted himself out of the car and leveled his eyes at the larger man despite their height difference. He shook his head turned at his heel, making his way to his room despite the limp now impeding his gait. 

Once in the confines of his room Fai peeled off his clothing, wincing it stuck to his skin where the blood seeped through. When he pulled pants clear of his body, he curled his lip up in distaste at the ugly bruise forming at his hip and knee from where he was slammed against the ground by their zombie like attackers. Shallow claw marks scraped all the way down his legs meeting up with five very distinct finger shaped bruises around his ankle. The marks started to blend in with the darkening, swelling flesh of his ankle. The purple and blue becoming a stark contract against his pale skin. 

Fai sighed heavily before he tried to run a hand through his hair only to have his fingers get tangled and pull on the matted bloodsoaked locks. He strained a little to carefully pull his fingers out, noting that there was something meaty in with the caked down hair, and Fai felt the bile rise into his throat before he forced it back down. Without granting himself more time to think, he went to his private shower and started to wash the gore from his hair and his body, not caring that the water had yet to heat up before attempting to scrub it away.

Kurogane stalked to his room and put the guns away in a storage closet. He would deal with those later. And he didn't bother changing or cleaning up before he went back to that little chapel and walked straight through to Fai's room, shutting the door behind him before walking to the shower and standing in the doorway. "That's not going to get it out, you know."

The slender man jumped at the intrusion of Kurogane’s voice. Fai’s nerves were frayed. The havoc of the last few hours sawed through his composure with a dull rusting blade of gruesome reality. When Fai's weary eyes met the red of Kurogane’s there was a sharp pang, and like a marionette who’s last string was cut his nearly 6ft frame crumbled to the wood tile floor. "Help."

Kurogane sighed and undressed himself and stepped into the shower to carefully pull the mage into his arms. "All right, but we'll have to go to my rooms okay? I have better things in there for this. I didn't exactly think we needed to stock your shower with the strongest soaps."

Fai shook his head and curled his body into the protection of the larger man. He would be hard pressed to care about appearances right now. It didn’t matter if he was too weak, too needy, or, his biggest crime as of late, too young. Fai was experienced with human violence. He'd seen nightmares come to life, but he'd never taken a life that wasn't already forfeit. Those men today could have been saved. They could have gone home. They could have laughed with their friends again. They could have done a litany of trivial tasks the rest of the world took for granted. Not anymore. His cavalier wish to investigate the pier had caused so many lives to come to sudden, gory halt. 

Kurogane sighed and held him, letting the water wash over them for a little while before he lifted the other man's chin and looked down at him. "Hey, listen. Nothing that happened today was your fault."

"Part of me knows that. Logically. I just...” Fai started, searching Kurogane’s expression. An appreciative smile tilted the edge his own lips, but the gesture never made it to his eyes. “They didn't wake up today thinking that it was going to be their last day. They didn't agree to any contracts. It was just unlucky." If only he could believe the words he spoke.

"They were part of a crime syndicate. They woke up every day thinking it could be their last. We all do." He shook his head a little. "And if I hadn't investigated and found something wrong, none of what happened tonight would have happened." Kurogane shook his head once more and looked at him again. "You cannot blame yourself for this. Those men were already dead before we got there. Maybe not literally, but whatever had happened to them to make them like that isn't something someone could live through. Whatever that adrenaline thing was that that guy talked about...normal people can't live long like that..."

"You don't know that." Fai whispered softly. "They weren't undead. They weren't bound. They weren't anything." Fai sighed and started to pull himself away from the larger man. "But now they’re dead. Just dead.”

Kurogane didn't let go of Fai though. "Do you think I don't know what you're feeling right now? I had to kill someone for the first time when I was a kid. A kid. Do you think all the stuff that's running through your head hasn't run through mine?" Kurogane sighed and shook his head. "It's difficult. It should be difficult. If you're a good person, it doesn't ever get easier. But you come up with ways to cope. Like telling yourself they were already dead."

"I can't do that. Because I know it’s not true." Fai whispered. 

"Then let me do that for you." Kurogane sighed. 

"Huh?" Fai arched an incredulous eyebrow. "Why would you take that on?"

"Why wouldn't I? If you can't do it, and I can, why shouldn't I? I already have, haven't I?"

"But for me. Why?" 

"Because I can kill, and you can't. Because I'm used to it, even though I wish I wasn't. Because it's the only way I can think of to help you right now."

"Kurogane." Fai lifted his hand to stroke Kurogane's cheek, his skin retaining the chill from the water.

Kurogane's eyes closed at the touch to his cheek. "But we do need to go to my rooms so we can get cleaned up. Can you walk?"

"Yeah. I'm just scratched up. Not broken." Fai stood up with a faint wobble, reaching a hand to Kurogane’s shoulder until his sprained ankle found its footing. He limped to the door hook, removed his robe and wrapped it securely around himself. "Do I have to sneak in there this time?"

"No one's around." Kurogane shook his head and pulled his bloodied clothes back on. "I sent them to do some surveillance and research earlier. So, from here to my wing it's completely clear, and it will be clear all night."

Fai nodded his head once, hugging his arms around his waist and waited for Kurogane at the door of the chapel. 

There was something about the mage in that moment, something unidentifiably pure and yet indecent. It was an intoxicating concoction of contradictions. Wet hair clung to Fai’s neck and cheeks. Pain moistened his eyes with tears that were too proud to fall but sparkled warmly in the chapel's dim lighting. The white linen robe appeared as a soaked baptismal shroud. The water clinging to his body from the shower brought the cloth in to the skin, coloring it with flesh tones and taunting shadows. 

"You coming?" Fai asked over his shoulder as he looked at Kurogane. 

Kurogane grunted and pulled his clothes back on. He grabbed a towel, walking up to Fai and draping it around his shoulders as if he needed it, even when he knew full well he didn't. Especially not since they were the only ones there now.

But he said nothing as he took the mage's hand and started pulling him with him to his own section of the house. No one would bother them there for sure, and he wanted to do whatever he could to make the other man feel better. Kurogane was used to seeing bursts of violence, but it was clear that his companion was still reeling from the experience. 

He led him into the hallway and through the corridor, still saying nothing, but only stopping long enough to slide open the door to his inner rooms. He let go of Fai's hand only long enough to close the door and put a piece of wood in the track to prevent anyone else from opening it. He looked at the other man and shook his head. "Let's get you clean..." He took his hand again and pulled him through the front room, through another sliding door, and into his bedroom, which was pretty barren except for the disheveled futon that he hadn't made up this morning. He continued to guide him through that room and into the bathing room. He once again let go of Fai's hand and grabbed the stool, setting it down and looking at him. "You should sit on that." As he spoke, he moved to turn the water on to fill the bath and he checked the temperature for the spray-handle. 

Fai removed the robe and sat obediently upon the short stool. He pulled his legs in with his arms as his body curled over his thighs. The position exposed the lean muscles of his back. The man was in no way as delicate as his androgynous features would lead people to believe. His form was honed for speed; sleek and swift, but also not meant to be adverse for combat. 

"You don’t need to treat me so cautiously." Came Fai’s voice after the silence swelled painfully between them. "It's not the first time I've seen a headless body. They've always been hosts, though."

"Seeing one body is different than seeing a whole room of people getting their heads popped off..." Kurogane shook his head and snorted as he peeled his bloodied clothes off himself again and tossed them to the floor. He pulled up another stool behind Fai and tested the water once more before he started to rinse off the other man's back. "It's okay to be affected by it. You're not going to change my opinion of you if you react the way you feel. Don't try to show this bravado when you don't feel it. Close your eyes." He started washing the mess out of Fai's hair.

Fai trembled once and was about curl in a little more, but then Kurogane's hands pushed into his hair. _They’re so big._ Fai marveled to himself allowing his eyes to close with the sensation. Not only where they big, but they were also little bit rough. It felt good, and he couldn't help it as he sat up straighter, encouraging his touch. "I wouldn't call this bravado." 

"Well whatever it is, you don't have to fake it around me." Kurogane carefully washed the remainder of the mess from Fai's hair and started to rinse it out, starting from the back so the other man would have enough time to close his eyes. 

"You might not think I'm cool anymore." Fai tried to joke, but even to him it came out flat. "Then what should I do around you?"

"You're assuming I thought you were cool in the first place. Just be yourself." Kurogane finished washing his hair, shook his head, and handed the cloth around to him. "For the front." 

Fai took the cloth and gingerly started to wash up, careful of the scrapes and deeper cuts. "I wonder who that would be." 

"Well, that's for you to figure out." Kurogane shook his head and started to clean himself up, snorting a little as he washed his own hair. 

"Here." Fai turned around and stood up, just a hair too short to help Kurogane while they were both seated. "Close your eyes." He commanded of the other as he brushed the large hands away from his hair, being as gentle as he could. After a moment, he took the water bowl and dumped it over Kurogane’s head.

Kurogane closed his eyes and remained steady as Fai helped him, but when the water was done pouring over his head, he looked up at him and wrapped his arms around him, resting his forehead against his stomach. 

"Kurosama?" Fai blinked, briefly unsure of their proximity before he hesitantly placed his arms around Kurogane's shoulders.

Kurogane rested his hands on the small of Fai's back to hold him there as he just sat for a moment, but then he turned his head up to look at him. "Do you want to soak in the bath or no?"

"I feel that if I spend any more time in water I'm going to wrinkle up." Fai pet the top of Kurogane’s head as though he were humoring an oversized puppy. 

"All right, then dry off and go into the other room. I'll close it up." He slowly got up and went to the bath and turned off the heat.

Fai nodded once got into the bed room, pulling a dry robe around himself before sitting down on the futon. He’d been in Kurogane’s sitting area countless times. It was as far as the two of them made it before lust pulled them down into a tangle of limbs on the table, the floor, or the couch. Fai would then gather himself and make his way back to his domicile to stave off suspicions. He had never seen the interior of Kurogane’s bedroom before today. It had a traditional motif. Well maintained tatami squares made up the floor and provided extra cushioning for the futon upon which he sat. The walls were sparse with only sensible calligraphy art placed every so often, and the pattern was only broken up by a display of samurai swords. Unlike the rest of the décor, these were ornate blades. The four celestial guardian beasts were separately represented in molded and etched precious metals on the hilts. Their black lacquer bamboo sheaths were polished to a mirror finish. The swords were displayed upon a simple wooden rack in accordance to size. Fai only recognized one of the blades as the infamous Japanese katana. The others were a bit of a mystery to him. A blond eye brow quirked up in fascination before he turned his head to the open bathroom door.

"This is the first time I've been in here."

"Well, it's not much to look at, sorry." Kurogane finished up in the bathroom and grabbed a towel, wrapping it around his waist as he came out and looked at him. "And my futon is a mess from this morning. I was lazy."

"That's fine. We're going to use it anyway." Fai said as he turned his head down to focus on the edge of the bedding his fingers were idly smoothing out, but not before he eyes wandered over the full length of Kurogane’s body. He was the definition of definition. Muscle and sinew wrapped tight within caramelized skin. Every move he made reminded Fai of watching a tiger move through the Serengeti; Feral grace, coiled power, and dangerous beauty. Scars thatched over his flesh becoming a delectable aesthetic rather than a wound. Fai’s cheeks pinked with his racing thoughts even as he kept his head lowered.

"That's true." Kurogane moved to sit down next to Fai, his hand coming up to cup the other man's cheek, and he leaned in a little. He knew Fai had been looking him over, and he figured a little teasing might be a good way to distract him from earlier events. "Be honest. Do you want me to comfort you?"

Fire burst into the mage’s cheeks so quickly they tingled. "Define comfort?" His eyes didn't lift but he leaned into calloused touch.

"I'll comfort you any way you want me to." Kurogane's thumb brushed over Fai's lower lip.

"You obviously have something in mind." 

"And you don't?"

Blue heavy lidded eyes finally met Kurogane's. "I don't want to think right now."

"Then don't." Kurogane moved his thumb away from Fai's lips, leaned in, and kissed him.

Fai sighed, opening his mouth to accept more of Kurogane than just a simple kiss.

The larger man laid Fai back on the futon as he kept kissing him, the hand that was on his cheek slid down over his neck and shoulder to trail along his arm.

Fai's breath came in delighted shivers as his weakness were perfectly manipulated by Kurogane’s touch. As rough fingers slipped past the crook of Fai’s elbow, the mage turned his hand to fold into the questing touch. The whole of his hand getting swallowed down to the wrist by Kurogane’s grasp. 

Kurogane's body pressed Fai further into the pile of futon and blankets as he kept kissing him, his other hand slowly sliding down the smaller man's pale chest.

Air escaped Fai's mouth as the gentle press of Kurogane’s weight settled against him. It wasn't painful, but a welcomed pressure that Fai felt down to the center of his body along with Kurogane's ready heat pressing against his thigh.

Kurogane's lips moved from Fai's and trailed soft kisses over his jaw. He continued to hold the other man's hand as the one he had on his chest slowly slid to the side and slid lower on his body, over his waist and hip. 

"You're being slower than usual," Fai said, without criticism. 

He lifted his head and looked down at Fai. "Would you prefer I just get to it then?"

"No," Fai lifted his hand and wrapped around the back of Kurogane's neck. "Spoil me."

"All right." Kurogane kissed him again as his fingers dragged along his hip and down across the front of his thigh. He didn't touch him just yet, but he came agonizingly close to it.

"Kurosama." Fai moaned, his voice a mixture of velvet and honey.

"Hmmm?" Those fingers danced around the source of Fai's heat, coming close but never quite touching it as his lips moved along his jaw once again, this time moving to his neck and kissing there, nipping a bit with his teeth, not hard enough to leave any sort of mark.

"Ah!" Fai arched his head back, exposing more his vulnerable neck to Kurogane’s manipulation. "That's fighting dirty!" He breathed out.

"Is it?" Kurogane couldn't help but chuckle as his lips moved down along Fai's collarbone, his tongue sliding out to taste the salt of his skin. One finger finally slid along his heat just as the larger man focused a bit on that pale flesh with his mouth, this time enough to leave a mark. 

"Christ!" Fai cursed, his breath getting caught as he almost felt his body fall over the edge to no more than a simple touch.

Kurogane smirked as he licked over the spot he just marked, sliding that finger up along the tip of his heat and back down before curling his whole hand around him, his lips continuing their assault down his chest, licking, sucking, and nipping on the way.

"O..oi... Aha!" Fai turned his head to the side and mewled out a long note of pleasure as his body writhed below the larger man. His hips twisted with virginal uncertainty, not sure if he wanted more of what Kurogane was doing to him or if he was trying to pull away. The question did not remain unanswered for long. When Fai felt the all-encompassing heat envelop him, it was so tight and so hot he couldn't fight the natural urge to thrust his hips up into it.

Another chuckle escaped the larger man's lips as he left yet another mark just above Fai's navel, his hand moved a bit faster in response to Fai's reaction.

Fai watched, blessedly helpless, as Kurogane sucked at his flesh, leaving red and purple against the pristine skin. In all their times together, the bigger man never once left a mark on Fai. The action was indicative of possessive desire. Fai was aware of the unhinged need to own him that laid dormant just behind crimson eyes, and he briefly wondered what caused the emotion to boil to the surface now of all times. The question never made it past his lips before is mind went blank with the scorching flashes of white hot pleasure.

Kurogane pulled his hand away when Fai hit his peak. He lifted his head and looked down at the other man, watching the way he still seemed to be writhing in pleasure from all of that. "Do you feel any comfort yet?"

"Something like that." Fai purred out, his hand slipping down from Kurogane's shoulders and to his own waist, smearing the evidence of his climax against his finely contoured stomach. 

"Do you want to feel more of it then?" Kurogane slid off of him and walked to a small nightstand tucked in the corner of the room. "Or should I just leave you the way you are?"

"That would be cruel." Fai pouted and stretched out with languid sexuality across Kurogane's futon, making sure the man could see the remains of his handy work. "Besides, you don't want to leave things like this either. You want it too. I can see that much."

"Is it that obvious?" Kurogane looked over his shoulder and grinned at him, turning around so Fai could see him in all his glory. He grabbed the lube and took slow, calculating steps back to the futon, making a point of looking at every inch of Fai's lean body before he got back down to his level and kissed him.

Fai pushed his head up into his kiss, forcing his tongue back against Kurogane's until he could completely taste the other's mouth. He was moaning and almost growling with the need seeing Kurogane's full form brought forth in him. If he had the strength in him he would have flipped them both over and ridden the man right then and there. The desire to do just that and take control burned inside of the mage, but there another need, a need that existed for only as long as he’d known Kurogane. He wanted to be taken care of. He wanted to be the pampered, spoiled, and most of all, adored. 

Fai was a familiar friend to lust, that was how the two of them met in the first place, but the gentle reaffirming touches of a lover were strangers to him. How one could give silent devotion to another with a kiss here, and feather light touch there. For all that Kurogane was big, strong, and tough. He was also kind. He was tender. He would find all of Fai's weaknesses just to see his expressions change, and by now, Fai was certain, he had a complete map of the mage's body in his brain.

Kurogane let out a slight groan into that kiss. It wasn't that it was needier than kisses they had shared, especially on that first night, but it was more passionate in a way Kurogane had never felt before. There was desire, and there was this. He kept his mouth busy with the mage's as he coated his fingers and lowered them to ready him, not even breaking the contact of their lips as one finger slowly pushed inside the other man, his eyes narrowing and darkening when he felt Fai's warmth surround him.

And the mage moaned. The intrusion into his body caused his hips to lift and welcome Kurogane into him. Long pale legs lifted-up, hooking around Kurogane's broad back. "Kurogane." Fai groaned out in a tone so latent with hedonic need Fai own cheeks flush a shade or two darker when it reached his ears.

Kurogane moved his finger carefully, watching his face the entire time, even as he slid another in. "What is it, Fai? Too slow?" He smirked and slowed his fingers just a little more.

"Don't tease me." Fai groaned as he touched Kurogane's lips with his fingertips, his expression boarding on a swoon. 

He licked at those slender fingers. "It's only teasing if I don't plan to follow through...but you know I do. You saw my intent pretty clearly."

Fai pressed his fingers into Kurogane's mouth. First one then two, moaning at the feel of his tongue as Kurogane moved it over them. Unable to take it anymore, Fai arched forward replacing them with his own mouth. 

Kurogane moaned into that kiss as he pulled his fingers out of Fai and lifted the other man's hips up as he settled himself in position. He kept his eyes open, though they narrowed slightly when he pushed himself into the mage.

"AAH!" Fai's back bowed up from the bed. It never mattered how many times they did it, when Kurogane pushed himself into Fai's body it felt like the world was melting and joining together where the two of them met. Chaos, heat, pain, and pleasure all existing in one continuous second. When time was allowed to move forward again, pleasure drunk sapphire eyes found Kurogane’s, followed by a little shift or wiggle to signal the other man that it was okay for him to move.

Kurogane smiled a genuine smile. One Fai wouldn't have actually seen before. This was what both of them needed. Fai needed comfort, Kurogane needed to be needed. And it worked. He melted into the other man as his hips slowly began to move. He gently gripped Fai's hips to hold him steady with each thrust. "Nnn..."

"Nnmg-m." Fai's legs stretched up and his toes curled before they wrapped completely around Kurogane. "T-that's it. There!"

A low growl seemed to escape Kurogane's throat, but he just silenced himself by taking Fai's mouth, keeping his pace steady.

Fai wasn't sure if he continued speaking after that. He was never the silent type, particularly during sex but anything he said got swallowed up by Kurogane's mouth and just became muffled pleas, and broken whimpers.

He continued to move, his fingers pressing into Fai's hips, not hard enough to bruise, but enough to let the other man know he wasn't going to let him go. His hips sped up just slightly and he kept kissing the other man.

Each steady thrust pushed Fai deeper into a mindless haze of pleasure. All he knew was Kurogane's touch, voice, body, and heat. Nothing else existed or mattered. "Kurogane!" Tears pearled on the edges of Fai's eyes. "I'm-AH!" He came, his words lost somewhere between a cry and moan.

If Kurogane was a better person, he might have stopped when he saw those tears, but instead he pushed more, grunting when Fai tightened around him. It caused him to go over his own edge, and his hips bucked slightly as his pleasure emptied into the mage. 

Fai fell into a breathless heap to the futon, body limp and legs falling akimbo to either side of Kurogane, lacking the strength to hold them there any longer. "Nmm."

Kurogane carefully pulled himself out of Fai and moved to lay at his side, panting, but eyes watching him carefully.

Fai straightened his body out, whimpering as his muscles and hips ached with the effort. It was like trying to recoil a spring after stretching it to be nearly straight. "Mm.." he purred. "That did the job. Mind is blank."

"Hmmm..." Kurogane closed his eyes and moved his body a bit closer to Fai's. "Good."

"How long can I stay in here tonight?" Fai murmured, cuddled into the grove of Kurogane's neck.

"All night. No one can get in." Kurogane wrapped his arms around him and pulled him a little closer. "And no one has the balls to bother me before noon."

Fai chuckled softly. "So scary." 

"I am." He grinned.

He nuzzled in more and slipped one bare leg around Kurogane's. "Then hold me better."

"Oh?" Kurogane pulled him as close as he could without crushing him. "Like this?"

Fai smiled against his shoulder. "Yeah. Mmm it’s warm." 

"Good. And you feel comforted?"

"Mm." Came a sleepy reply just before the body Kurogane held so closely went limp.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [ Cry Out - One Ok Rock ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hOrJm8Wmfyc)
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> Questions, comments, and positive criticisms are always welcome!


	14. The Willow Tree

Fai stirred. He could hear it, right outside the thin wood and paper framed door, a bird chirping in the family garden. He had never been there, but he could picture it well enough from the maps and layouts of the Japanese compound. There were only two accesses to the enclosure. One was Kurogane’s bedroom, the other was from the Yakuza head’s. 

The garden was home to an assortment of the late mistress’ favorite trees and plants. Through sound alone Fai imagined there to be a bubbling fountain to keep the garden’s pond water moving and prevent stagnation. Fai assumed that all Japanese gardens had a pond overflowing with koi and maybe a crane or some other silent respectful animal other than the annoying little bird who didn’t know that most of god’s creatures were still in bed at four o’clock in the morning! 

Fai groaned and lifted himself up to his elbows, weighed down by Kurogane’s arm looped loosely over his back. Moving out of his hold was an easy enough trick, he simply stroked the other man’s cheek, lulling away any waking desire the larger man had even as he nuzzled his face into his palm.

“Kurowan.” Fai smiled warmly as Kurogane’s breathing became normal and his body settled back into the futon. Fai leaned forward to kiss his forehead. “I’ll be right back. Just wait for me.”

There was a moment when he stood to his full height, and he gazed at the slumbering figure of his partner, that Fai had to be admittedly impressed with his body’s fortitude and recovery. Kurogane was in no way a small man, and the blessing of size was not limited to his stature. With a shake of his head and a mental clap of his own back, Fai opened the paper paneled door and walked out into the garden. The sight greeting him pushed the breath from his lungs with one thudding beat of his heart.

In all his time in Japan, Fai had never seen the moon. At least, he couldn’t remember if he had. The nights in Tokyo were too bright, and the stars were lost behind the electric haze of light pollution. Tonight however, the moon shone down in silver radiance. Its pure and cold illumination muted the autumn colors, but did not detach from the spectacle, instead it added an ethereal quality to the world before him. 

Fall camellias spotted the leaf covered ground, their magenta blossoms standing out against the leaves’ golden hues. Bare cherry trees reached with skeletal fingers toward the silver lit sky, the bark black and shadowed over by the thicker taller trees, maple and cypress. Each stubbornly holding their onto their leaves as if determined not to let go until the last traces of summer green were banished by the diminishing sun. In the middle of the garden was a mound of carpet fine grass, surrounded by a pristine moat with two red arched bridges crossing over on either side. The water rippled gently, each tiny crest catching the light of the moon to shimmer like a thousand crystals blessed with its own inner light. From the center of the mound, a massive old willow tree grew as if the garden, no, the whole compound had been built around it. The trunk alone was the width of an average car. Ancient branches creaked and stretched up in a cavernous plume before gravity forced whip-like vines down to weep and dance just above the moat encompassing the island. 

Fai felt like he walked into a dream. Somehow, he stumbled into the pages of a book within the realms of fantasy like some wholesome kids through a wardrobe. 

Fai walked over the bridge nearest him, his hand sliding easily across the red glossed finish before he lifted it up to touch one of the fine cord like branches of the willow. Fai’s core trembled as something inside touched him back. Something warm and welcoming, as if an introduction had been made for an eager yet patient guest. 

"Amazing isn't it?" Shishio's soft, tired voice came from behind the curtain of willow branches. He sat on the grass, clearly having just come from his own bed, robe on, hair disheveled. His back rested against the trunk of the tree as he calmly smoked, his tired eyes watching the blond man that snuck out of his son's room. "Something so old in such a modern world." His gaze was locked on Fai. "Come sit and talk with me. It'd be better company than silence."

“Sumiyoshi-san.” Fai’s eyes were wide as they took in the man. He was certainly old, but he sat there and gazed at Fai with a calm yet expectant authority. Fai was compelled to obey, even as he looked between the old man the door from where he’d just come. Shishio Sumiyoshi was no fool, and Fai found it funny that his mind was not bothering to race to find ways to cover up his reasons for being here, for leaving Kurogane’s room, or why he was standing here in one of Kurogane’s shirts leaving is legs irreverently exposed. Shishio hadn’t asked about any of that. Instead he asked for his company. 

“A-aa.” Fai sat down beside him, his knees pulling up inside the shirt he wore. He was sure Kurogane wouldn’t appreciate him stretching it out like that, but if Fai was alive after this, he’d be sure to buy him a new one.

Shishio smiled a little at the younger man. He didn't blame him for being slightly startled. After all, the supposed priest had just left the yakuza heir's private bedroom. "I hope you don't think I'm actually as unaware as I pretend to be." He shook his head and glanced at the other man out of the corner of his eye. "You can relax. If I didn't want you to be with my son, I would have left you in Italy." He shrugged and held the box of cigarettes out to him. "Do you smoke?" 

"Unaware? No.” Fai started as he accepted the pack of smokes. “A saint? Yes." Fai smiled as he made a cursory check for anything 'menthol' related written in romaji, Hiragana, katakana, or likewise. Politeness aside, if Fai wanted his cigarette to taste like mouthwash he’d just light a mint on fire. Once satisfied he slipped one thin white tube out of the carton and handed it back over to the old man. It wasn't one of his American Spirits but when he lit the end his head leaned back against the tree and after that first priceless inhale he sighed the day out of himself. "Thank you."

Shishio chuckled a little as he took the pack back and tucked it somewhere into his robe. "You're welcome." He looked out at the branches that made a quiet little canopy, keeping out the world as if it was an easy feat. "Though I don't believe I deserve to be called anything close to saintly." He grinned a little, his eyes closing. "If I did, this would not be my lifestyle. Nor would I encourage a lie to my other son as long as it keeps him mostly out of trouble." He opened one eye and looked at Fai again. "Don't be fooled by Mantarou's eagerness to stay in your good graces. He will push further than he should be allowed, and he will not care about the consequences. Be careful."

“More believable for you to be a saint than for me to be a priest.” Fai joked with a wry yet apologetic smile. As he sat and listened to the man he took special interest in Shishio’s profile as he spoke. For a moment, Fai could see the handsome youth hidden behind the weathered and wrinkled skin. He would have been an intimidating figure back at his peak. A young robust mafia lord. Though, as he spoke of his son the visage melted away and Shishio was the tired old man once more. 

“Why did you let me, if you knew?” Fai took another long drag, his eyes focusing in the brightly burning amber. 

The older man shook his head a little and put out the remains of his cigarette into the small ash tin he had in his hand. "Why? Hm." He looked up at the branches and remained silent for a moment before he turned his whole body so he could look right at Fai. "For Kurogane." He watched the man's face, his eyes narrowing just slightly, not in any menacing way, but as though he were studying it like it was a perplexing piece of artwork.

“For Kurochan?” Fai pointed to the bedroom, to make sure they were talking about the same person. It was all he could do to not shrink away from the scrutiny of Shisho’s gaze. 

"That boy..." Shishio continued to look upon the other man intently. "Ever since the day I killed his parents, that boy has never wanted anything. But the way he looked at you--If he hadn't given you even a glance over, I would never have considered it. But he looked at you with something other than apathy, contempt, or anger. I've never seen him look at anyone the way he looked at you."

Fai’s cheeks burned hot. Kurogane, Karen, and himself thought they were so clever. But no matter how smart and talented you are, there’s always some old man in Japan who’s better than you. Fai was sure there was some universal rule about this. But then his mind stopped and backtracked the conversation. “You? You killed his parents?”

That reaction satisfied him enough that he shook his head and let his eyes return to their normal size. "I was young. I had just taken over the family, and I had received some information about a betrayal that had led me to them. But it was bad information, and I received the correct call about ten minutes too late. I was leaving just as Kurogane had come home from school. I didn't say anything, but he knew. He hadn't even seen them yet, but he knew. He looked at me, this little seven-year-old, and he held his backpack and he asked me if his parents were in heaven now." His eyes actually started to tear up, so he turned his head a little. "I told him it was a mistake, that it wasn't right, and I told him he could kill me if he'd like to make amends. I handed him my knife, and he looked at it for a long time. I was convinced he was going to stab me, but then he held it out to me, tears on his little cheeks, and he told me killing me wouldn't make his parents happy. So I took that kid home, and I have been working to make it all up to him. And I never thought I really could until I saw the way he looked at you. I'm sure he wasn't even aware of it, but it was there."

Fai closed his eyes, he could see it so clearly. A black-haired crimson-eyed child. Lost and alone. “Of course, he wouldn’t stab you. He was a child. He didn’t understand aggression or rage. All he knew was fear. Those other concepts we were nurtured into.” Fai’s tone was not as cruel as his words, though he wondered when he had slipped into the first person. 

“If you gave him the blade now. I wonder what he would do.” Fai wasn’t sure who it was he was addressing the man before now, or the one he saw behind the lids of his eyes. “An innocent taken in to a world of dark monstrous creatures.” It mirrored his own history bit too much for him to sound anything but resentful. Though, Kurogane was a human. A simple human. Fai and Yui were doomed from the moment of conception. 

“But, he loves you.” Fai’s voice softened. “Despite it all. He loves you. Enough to fight me to protect you.” Fai’s head lulled to the side and he smirked at the old man, the cigarette hanging loosely from his lips. 

"Don't be fooled by how cute he sounds in the story. He was a small terror." Shishio shook his head and smiled a bit. "Always running around and fighting the men. Starting a middle-school gang. Apparently he was like that before that day. But there was still something so cute about it. For all that he was tough, sometimes I worried because he really had no friends. To the point where he would talk to what he said were his dead parents' ghosts. He said they checked on him to make sure he was happy. But that stopped before he turned ten." He shook his head again. 

"He has that same knife you know. It's under his pillow. I made him keep it in case he changed his mind." He looked at Fai. "If he honestly thought you were a threat to me, you'd have that knife at your neck right now." The older man stretched a little and stood. 

Fai gave a wolfish grin standing up out of politeness. “Give me some credit. I’m not that easy to kill. I have the protection of angels.” He really did like this man and he nodded appreciatively as Shishio took the end of his smoke and put it away in the tin. 

"Then you're lucky." Shishio shook his head and pushed some of the branches aside. "Feel free to stay out here as long as you'd like. I am going to head back to bed." He smiled at him before he passed through that curtain, walking to his side of the house and going inside. 

Fai leaned back against the trunk of the willow and sighed once he was alone. Then he started laugh, softly and to himself. His hand coming up to cover his mouth as though he were in polite company rather than alone in a garden. 

"This whole thing is becoming ridiculous." Fai said from behind his hand. He blinked suddenly and looked up at the tree.

"Ah. I didn't forget about you." Fai whispered. He walked over to the edge of the island, his fingers slipping down a few of the spindly branches. He caressed them gently, twining them into the vines as if they were the fingers of a lover. Slow listless motes of teal blue light started to lift from the water. As they drifted up they began to dance around the mage; gently, inquisitively, is if each light was its own separate thought. 

"Your children have been stuck here a long time." Fai said in a breath, and with the words came an echo. It wasn’t loud, it wasn’t obtrusive. The reverberation only enhanced the unearthly tenor of his soft voice and the branches caressed his face. The garden was aglow suddenly with hundreds then thousands of little sparks of light. Each one wafting and moving about the garden until finding it open to the endless sky and they started to float up, caught upon a breeze.

Kurogane silently stepped out onto the veranda when he heard his father return to his room. He watched Fai from there, his eyes moving between the dancing lights and the mage's face. He had been awake the entire time, and any annoyance he felt at his father spilling his childhood secrets melted as he watched the way those pale blue sparks illuminate the other man's pale skin as they rose. Like little kisses of stardust. He waited a few moments before he stood again and made his way to the bridge, stopping just before he crossed the apex and shaking his head. "It's a good thing he falls asleep quickly." He said quietly. 

Fai turned to the voice like he expected it to be there. His eyes glowed vibrantly in the mingling light of the moon and the tiny motes. The silver and blue glows collected around him as if he too were one of them, threatening to drift up and fade away. Fai had never looked more ethereal, never looked more unreal, never looked more like something other than human, but still, as Kurogane would intimately recollect, Fai was still warm flesh, welcoming flesh. 

"He, couldn't see this even if he was standing right where you are." Fai whispered, as if a decibel higher would hurt his ears. "Come here. I want to show you something."

"Is that so?" Kurogane crossed the bridge and walked to Fai's side, reaching out for a moment to touch him, but then pulling his hand back as if that touch would break him. 

A patient smile curled up Fai's lips. "It's okay. Come around me and hold my hands. She doesn't mind you being here. She's actually pretty fond of you."

Kurogane arched a brow, but moved behind Fai, moving his arms around him to take his hand. He rested his chin on his shoulder and looked over at the trunk of the tree. "She?"

“Aa. She says she’s a kodama.” Fai’s head tilted toward his, pressing against him so he could feel warmth of his cheek against his. He smiled. Kurogane still smelled mildly of soap and shampoo.

“There, do you see her? Where the trunk starts to fork.” Fai nudged the other’s head with his own to guide it, and there she was, translucent and reclined back into the branches as if they were a throne for her to sit. A long formal kimono made up of all the autumn colors draped over her body in enviable elegance of golds, browns, and reds. Straight black hair hung lose over her shoulders with the barest shading of winter gray while her eyes sparkled with a spring green, bringing out the contrast of the heat seared red of her lips. Her face was gentle and maternal as she smiled down at the boys below her feet. 

Kurogane's eyes widened at the sight, and he tensed just slightly. This shouldn't have startled him after everything he had been dealing with and seeing since meeting Fai in Rome, but this was more surprising because there was something here that he didn't want to address. Something gentle and familiar but also very far away. The whole area felt comforting and warm, and Kurogane didn't feel threatened at all. "What...?"

“She says she’s been here a long time. There’s an old shrine under us that the compound was built over. Miko would come and dance on a stage to release the Kodoma’s children during the spring festivals. After the compound was built, it had been forgotten and the seeds were trapped.” Fai laughed. “So now I’m a miko and a priest?”

The Kodama smiled, bringing to life the very human wrinkles at the corner of her mouth before she hid it behind a fan sapphire fan.

“These are her children.” Fai moved his hand, still with fingers folding into Kurogane’s, he forced the larger hand palm up and in it one of the motes of light came to rest. Inside the light a tiny seed hovered. “She’ll be lonely now, but she’s happy they can go out.”

Kurogane just nodded mutely as he listened to Fai talk, not sure what else to say. It seemed oddly inappropriate to make a quip about him not having the right parts for a miko, or that he was a fake priest anyway. 

But something did catch his attention, and he glanced down at the ground. "There's a shrine under there? That's... bad, isn't it? To build over a shrine?"

The Kodama's features flickered slightly but returned. If she had noticed, she didn’t give any sign and only continued to silently watch the other two.

“I wouldn’t say it was wise, but It was a long time ago.” Fai’s fingers folded back into Kurogane’s and he turned his head just enough so his lips nuzzled against the man’s cheek. Something about this felt so good and so right to him. It was like an anxiety he didn’t even know he had wound up so tight in his gut was quelled and lifted, sent away like all these little specks of light. For brief moment, it felt like he was someplace else. Someplace far away where the monsters of this world couldn’t touch him. He was safe. Protected, and oh so very loved. Once the seed in Kurogane’s hand floated skyward, Fai wrapped those large thick arms around his waist. Holding them there, feeling the yakuza’s hand spread out over his stomach, and from that center came a warmth. A warmth that banished the distant memories of winter pines and snow capped peaks. A warmth that brought him long summer nights on a veranda, listening to a chime caught up in a breeze.

Kurogane held Fai a little tighter when the other man seemed to press back into him. His cheek was still pressed to the other man's for a moment before he pulled his head to the side so he could look at him. When he did, he could see tears forming. Small little crystalline beads that could have fallen at any time, so he put his chin back on the other man's shoulder and held him as close as he could without crushing him. 

"I used to sit out here a lot when I was a kid. It felt better to be out here, doing my homework or whatever I needed to do. I mean, Dad's wife, I guess I could call her Mom, though she died not that long after I came here, tried to be nice to me even though I wasn't her son like Mantarou. But being out here felt more like being around my mother when she was still alive. My father wasn't around a lot, and when he was, he was always playing with me, so my mother was the one who had to help me with my homework or sit with me when it was dinner time." He closed his eyes. "Sitting here always felt like that."

“She remembers you.” Fai whispered his voice the timber of a breeze. “She’d watch you study. When she had heard what happened to your family she was sad for you.” Fai chuckled warmly. “She was the one that whipped Mantarou into the water when he stole your favorite toy. She was also the one that placed it back on the bridge for you to find it when it dropped in.”

"I don't want you to know all those embarrassing memories." Kurogane groaned a bit. "That wasn't a toy, it was something of my father's. I kicked his ass after that." He opened his eyes again and looked up at the figure in the tree. "Don't tell him anything else!"

The fade smiled once more, her emerald eyes glittering mischievously and she seemed to whisper. Fai closed his eyes. The unchecked tears falling down his cheeks before he opened them again to look up at Kurogane, and with that motion the garden was dark, spiritless, and bathed in the monochrome shades of the full moon. 

“She told me one more thing,” Fai turned in the large man’s arms, his own lifting to wrap around Kurogane and to gently play with fine hairs at the back of his neck.

Kurogane looked down at Fai and blinked. He hadn't expected to see those tears fall, but they were gracing the mage's cheeks like tiny little threads of light. "What did she say?"

“She said, she loves you and she’s glad to see you’re happy now.” 

He couldn't help it. For some reason, that made his own eyes water, tears threatening to fall. But Kurogane didn't want to cry, so he bit his lip and pressed his face into Fai's hair and held him, his body trembling almost unnoticeable. 

Fai wrapped his arms around the other man as if they could protect him from the rest of the world. “Shhh.” He soothed, his lips caressing his neck and shoulder with soft kisses. “See, you were never alone.” Fai pulled away just enough so he could look into Kurogane’s eyes. “And you won’t be. After…” Fai’s cheeks tingled again and he looked away for a moment to gather his words then back up at him. “After this, if you still want me. You can come with me.”

"Don't be an idiot. I'll never not want you." Kurogane looked down at Fai, and that moment of sentiment faded a bit as he looked at the smaller man's face. "And if I could go with you, I would. But this..." He nodded his head as if to indicate the house. "I can't leave. I'm the heir. I can't just walk away from it." He leaned in and rested his forehead against Fai's. "But you could stay here?"

“Mantarou?” Fai said his brother’s name as if that was all the explanation he needed, and his fingers stroked Kurogane’s cheek, memorizing the angled slope of his jaw and the adorable childish roundness that still lingered. 

Kurogane's brows furrowed and he shook his head just enough to get the action across, but not enough to knock those fingers away. "Did you ever wonder why the biological son doesn't even have a position in the family? If he were capable, then certainly an adopted child wouldn't be an heir." He sighed a little. "He's not capable, and so I cannot leave."

Fai shook his head. “I understand that. I’m talking about him regarding me.”

"Oh. He won't be a problem." Kurogane shook his head a little. "When this is all over, you don't have to hide anymore right? So I can tell him to back off more than I've already been telling him, and he'll go back to sniffing around people he can manipulate."

“He’ll be upset. You spent a lot of money on getting me out here.” Fai smiled even as he nuzzled his head in under Kurogane’s jaw. That warmth was still radiating inside of him and he wanted to just sink into it and leave out the rest of the world. A syllable of a sob broke out of his lips, coming out of nowhere. Had he been crying? When did that start? Did he care when he had a firm chest and tender embrace to curl into? Fai didn’t think he did.

Kurogane blinked when he heard that sob, and he sighed a little. On the one hand, he wanted to keep holding Fai and let him cry it out, but on the other hand, he wanted to comfort him. The second won out over the first, and he gently let go of Fai only to cup his cheeks in his hands and brush his tears away with his thumbs. "I only care if you're the one upset. Not anyone else. Least of all Mantarou. Just you." He leaned in and kissed the smaller man's forehead. "If you think he'll be a problem, I'll send him to live outside of the house. It'll make no difference to him, I'm sure. And then he won't bother you, and I can pamper you and make you happy even if you're stuck in this miserable place."

“We’ll see what happens.” Fai relished the kiss, feeling his early sense of completion and joy inside of him grow as he was handled so delicately by the other man. “I’ll check in with Karen and see what she says. I never had a base to work from and they moved me from city to city depending on what needed to be done.” 

_More of this. You need this. It’s all you need. Don’t worry about the others now. Take this._ Something inside of Fai demanded and spun his thoughts. “And if I bring trouble with me?” 

Kurogane grinned a little at that response and leaned in to give him a soft kiss. "I think it's a little late for you to worry about bringing trouble with you, isn't it?" His grin widened and he kissed him again.

The back of his neck tingled with each of those little kisses, and he almost purred out a note of pleasure. “Might be a small price to pay. Or too little considering how much baggage comes with it.” Off in the distance a car door slammed shut follow by revving of an engine. In the trees around them, life started to awaken with the chirping of birds reminding Fai what brought him out in the first place. “We should try to get a little more sleep. Long day tomorrow.”

"Should we? Do we?" Kurogane sighed and slowly dropped his hands from the other man's cheeks. "Let's go inside then." He reached down and took one of Fai's hands, gently pulling him along as he crossed that bridge again and headed to the veranda.

Fai managed to hold back a whimper when Kurogane pulled away from him to lead them both back to the bedroom. “Yes. You need to ask your associates a few things about those shipments. And I need look over some paper work, and there’s an old map of Tokyo in the study here that I want to look over. It might show a few water routes that I hadn’t thought of. I’d like to cross reference it against the current infrastructure. I’ll probably go to the shop as well.” Fai held his chin in hand for a moment, his expression becoming serious as it tended to when he talked about work, but out of place against the now drying tear stains on his cheeks. “I want to ask a few questions about the spirits in this area and see if any are prone to speaking to people. If sentient yohkai are around, they can be the perfect informants.” 

"We can talk about it when we wake up." Kurogane shook his head and pulled him back to the futon, which was a different one than the one they had fallen asleep in. He at least had the decency to change it when Fai got up and went outside. He let go of Fai's hand only to turn and look at him. "For now, we sleep."

\---

“That’s the best you have?” Lem sat on his haunches besides Fai’s head. The mage was stretched out half way in the study and half out on the veranda. Long legs spread and kicking in frustration as fingers roughed up blond hair. The canine demon moved three paces to the side to make sure he was not caught in the young wizard’s tantrum.

“That’s just it. Every lead, every concept, every theory. It all becomes thin the more I scrutinize it. The yohkai don’t want to talk because they’re scared, and the map I wanted is conveniently out for ‘reframing’. Reframing!? Who does that?”

“Rich people.” Lem said with more than a hint of disinterest. He’d been watching Fai for the better part of the day. It was purely by accident they ran into each other outside the Time Witch's shop. It was obvious with the way the mage was standing that he’d been pacing there for a while and had yet to step through the threshold. Fai spotted Lem and latched on to him, throwing his arms around his furry neck.

“I don’t have anything to pay with at the shop! Help me! You sniff out the yohkai!” The mage had all but tackled him into the street. To anyone else it may have appeared as nothing more than an overly excited foreigner reunited with a lost pet. Lem was startled, but with little reluctance he agreed. So here he was watching the blond, dressed as priest, flail about on the floor with no local spirits to help them or a map to guide them.

“You need a typography map?” Lem cocked his head to the side. 

“I want to see the old lay out of Tokyo. Before… all this.” Fai waved his hand out as though motioning to the entire world.

“For what purpose?”

“Water.”

“Is that all?” 

“’Is that all’?” Fai shot back at the demon in a nasal mockery of the creature’s voice, which made Lem huff. 

Fai was an annoying human, but despite his bad traits, Lem was fond of him. There was a gentleness about him. A kindness. A pure joy in learning which spoke to the very core of Lem’s demonic creation. He remembered their earlier lessons, how Fai would rant and rave about Foust being an idiot and lazy. 

“Knowledge is nothing if it’s handed to you. Where’s the fun in that?” Fai’s words had endeared Lem then, just as they did now. But being endeared doesn’t mean he didn’t want to bite at his calf from time to time.

“You know,” Lem started, brushing off Fai’s mockery. “You just need to touch a source of water.”

“Water? You mean like a sink? A glass?”

“Is it ever that easy?” One of Lem’s ears flopped forward as if to emphasis his sarcasm in a way his canine features could not. “It must be a source that has formed by nature. Nothing man made.”

“So not the pond in the garden either...” Fai sat up, pulling his legs to his chest and started to think.

“Yes. That pond was built by man no matter how old the landscaping may be.” Lem watched Fai for a long moment. His face was always so expressive when he was caught in thought. He developed wrinkles between his eyes and the harder he thought the more wrinkles would develop. Glacial blue eyes would go distant, seeing what others could not as though they were reading a faraway scroll. 

Of all his charges, Fai had been his favorite. Yui was an exceptional student and would devour lessons quickly and labor over the books to the point he would get it right on his first attempt. Fai on the other hand, was impulsive. He understood the concepts quickly enough but without thinking of practicalities or environment, he’d attempt the spell. It was reckless, it was dangerous, and most often than not, it would backfire. Through trial and error he had perfected it. Fai had to feel the results, know the power in his body. He had to understand the sense for the power building inside of him, what would fail, what would work. For Fai magic was about heart and instinct. For Yui it was about the mind and the theory. Neither choice was wrong, but Fai was the one sitting before him now, legs crossed and rubbing the bridge of his nose and Yui was the one gone. 

“Ah!” Lem’s eyes widened at Fai’s exclamation. One eye was closed and there was a trail of water on his cheek, then a drop, then another, then another until the whole veranda became dotted with droplets of rain.

“I had not noticed it was coming in.” Lem cautiously moved his head out from the cover of the overhang and saw low dark clouds moving lazily over compound. When had that happened?  
Then demon stopped and stared out at the yard his head tilting in curiosity. The ground suddenly started to glow, the light shuddering in a wave. Each wet spot shot forth an iridescence string. It shifted in shade of blue, one moment it was ice blue the next it was the deep dark pitch of midnight. The strings arched into the air, gathering together as if becoming a spool of thread. It wizzed behind Lem making the demon yelp in surprise before he turned his head and watched with wide awestruck eyes. 

The spool unraveled before Fai and within the mage’s upheld hands a tapestry took shape. Lem started to recognize riverways, housing districts, and roads as they formed in midair. Fai’s hands clasped down around an object that the demon could not see but knew was there on some astral level. 

Fai had used what Lem had told him, and created a divining tool out of mere rain. The spell was beautiful, intricate, and yet seemed simple in concept. Wizards, mages, sorcerers, shamans, and whathaveyous would spend their long lives to do what this boy could do with curiosity and a whim.

“It worked!” Fai’s eyes beamed proudly at Lem and in that moment he saw the small boy Karen brought to him many years ago. The innocents and the sweet simple joy he found in the world around him. So very much unlike his brother. 

“What it is telling you?” Lem padded over to where Fai sat and pressed his head against his arm, getting a better view of it. It appeared as moving images on clear glass. Names in Japanese and English moved across the page like they were pulled by the movement of Fai’s eyes. Water was represented by moving waves of light streets and earth were printed in solid lines. 

“Right here.” Fai’s head shot up and darted around the compound. “There’s an aquifer right here. Under our feet.”

“It’s not a very big one.” Lem blinked making sure he was reading the map correctly.

“It doesn’t have to be huge. The Kodama said that there was a shrine here once. This place was built over a shrine. A place where priestesses would dance and release her children.” Fai was speaking quickly now as he stood up. “Ack! I’m an idiot. Of course, it would be here! It makes the most sense.” He hit the side of his head. “Stupid stupid stupid!” Fai made a wiping motion with his hand and the map in front of Lem popped like a bubble into mist.

“What are you going to do now?”

“Check to see if there’s an entrance somewhere on the compound.”

“Is that wise? That Yakuza won’t be home for hours yet, and I cannot stay. If I’m away from Karen much longer…”

“Aa, I know. You’ll lose your physical essence.” Fai crouched before Lem and with gentle hands he petted the creature on his head then scratched under his neck. “You’ve been with me long enough. Go be with Karen. You’ll close the distance between you and her fast enough, but I’d rather be safe than sorry.” 

Lem flattened his ears. He didn’t like leaving Fai like this. The two bickered, but for the most part he was the closest thing Lem had to a real student or a human friend, and he liked having a human friend. Karen was his pact holder; Fai was something else entirely. 

“Go. I’ll be okay. I’m just going to check it out. I won’t do anything reckless.” Fai’s teeth flashed in a dazzling smile and Lem nodded, vanishing into a puff of sulfur scented smoke. 

It didn’t take Fai long to find the entrance. No one in the yakuza house ever spoke about this side of the compound. On any maps or histories it was often designated as condemned and the family had little need for such a space and were presently in talks of donating the land to a local horticulture branch of Toudai University. Fai had figured it was a great place to start. 

The buildings were rundown and unkempt. Nature had taken back most of the sheds and vines grew up over plaster walls while trees broke through veranda’s and roof tops. The look of it appealed to Fai. Even in the center of a metropolis like Tokyo, there were places like this. Places where nature fought and won. Eventually, after the people of this planet were all gone, it would do the same thing across the globe and start everything at square one. It was the order of things and Fai found the thought terrifying yet calming. It was scary to know that no matter what you did, you were just a momentary blip in the grand scheme of things, but it was soothing to know that all things, that life, all life, were connected by that one inescapable truth. We all return, eventually. 

“Focus Fai.” He whispered to himself as he walked the grounds. He didn’t bother to wonder why or how this place ended up like this. There would be time to ponder that later, or he could ask Kurogane. Either way, it was not a pressing matter.

He had wandered a little longer, hopping around dried up garden ponds now filled with wild flowers and weeds, their beds died up years ago, and swung around fallen support beams that were moist with rain, rot, and decay. 

“Ah.” Fai whispered. “Hello. What is this?” He stopped and started walking toward a small rectangular cement patch in the ground. It looked like western storm cellar, not something that was part of the typical Eastern architecture. “Oh ho.” Fai’s lips curled into a smirk. 

A bone crunching crack filled his ears. Pain so sudden and visceral it blinded him, blossoming from the back of his skull. Fai fell forward into the earth. Vision swimming, his hands reached out catch himself. He laid there, stunned, lips tasting the wet grass and dirt, warm liquid oozed down his neck and filled his nose with the scent of iron. Blood? Was it his blood? Was he hit? Did someone attack him? Fai tried to get up, to put his strength into his arms and push his body up, but a heavy boot pressed against his back, pushing him down into ground, staining his shirt with caked on mud and rain water. 

“W-where?” Fai choked out before he heard the crack again and darkness came down over him. He couldn’t feel anything anymore, he couldn’t see, he could speak. Words tried to force their way out of his mouth but became nothing but a gurgled mess around the blood that started to fill it. Before he gave in to unconsciousness he heard only a single familiar and strangely sympathetic voice whisper to the back of his ear.

“It had to be you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reference Song: 
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> [ The Willow Tree - Danu Buan](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s7gzFREJ4CA)
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> Questions, comments, and positive criticisms are always welcome!


	15. Castle of Glass

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is dedicated to Chester Bennington. As with a lot of people Linkin Park got me through some rough times. It helped me feel like there was someone out there that shared the same pains I was going through. I wasn't just 'depressed', 'emo', 'punk', 'goth' or 'extra'. I was a human and I found a place of solace.
> 
> Remember, never be afraid to reach out when you need to speak to someone. Family, friends, forum members, tumblr, twitch, where ever you find your space. There will be people who love the things you do and who will reach back out to you. This is a sappy depressing note, but know that you are loved, always. - Kuromori

Kurogane slammed the car door and sank into the backseat, grumbling all sorts of unintelligible things that could only have been very creative and colorful curses. He clenched his fists and punched the back of the passenger's seat, grunting with each hit.  
  
"Nothing again, Young Master?"  
  
Even though the sarcasm in Endo's question should have angered him, there was something about the old man's voice that calmed him enough to keep himself from breaking the seat in front of him in half. "Dead end. Again. Always. Why the fuck are we even bothering?" He sighed and straightened himself up, rubbing his hand a little as his knuckles started to redden from the earlier impact. "Something is seriously wrong here, Endo, and none of the groups want to admit to it."  
  
"Are you honestly surprised by that?" Endo looked at the younger man in the rearview. "They're not cooperative on a good day. Why would they be more helpful now that something's actually wrong?"  
  
"I know." Kurogane shook his head and ran a hand over his face, sighing a bit. "But this time it's like they want to talk but can't. Like there's something huge just off the edge of what's safe to talk about. Someone knows something, but can't tell me. And after what happened at the pier, I can't even blame them. I wouldn't talk to anyone after all of that either." He sighed again, leaning back in the seat and closing his eyes. "I guess we should try the last two...Though I'm sure it will just be more of the same."  
  
A slight knock at the window almost caused him to jump, but he just turned his head, blinking at the suited man standing outside. He lowered the window and looked at him. "Hm?"  
  
The man wouldn't look at him, but he held out an envelope. "You forgot the payment."  
  
"I..." Kurogane started, but he could see the man's hand trembling, so he took the envelope and nodded. "Yes. Of course. I was in a rush and forgot. Thank you for bringing it here to me."  
  
The man said nothing and jogged away from the car, so Kurogane rolled up the window again and opened the envelope. "Fuck." Pictures fell out of the envelope and into his lap. Pictures of crates like the ones they found in that warehouse. Pictures of a lab. Pictures of men in suits.  
  
Pictures of Mantarou.  
  
Why was Mantarou looming over those crates? And from the dates on the pictures this all happened after they returned from Italy. Kurogane frowned when he flipped through them. Whatever this was, Mantarou was in deep. And it wasn't like he was just there. He looked like he was completely involved. Like he was one of the ones of higher rank, giving orders. Whatever this was, it wasn't good, and there was no way Mantarou's involvement would have anything other than negative consequences for the family, especially after what had happened at the pier. There was something sinister going on and leaders were scared, either of getting punished for being involved or of getting punished for not remaining silent.  
  
Either way, Mantarou was more of a danger than he originally thought.  
  
Kurogane quickly pulled his phone out of his pocket. He had to tell Fai about this as soon as possible. And while there was a tiny part of him that wanted it to be nothing, for it to be a stupid coincidence or a frame job, or something, but he also knew better. He knew after seeing those men in the warehouse, and after all of that carnage, that this was beyond all of them. And since Mantarou was involved, Kurogane would have to get more involved than he already was.  
  
When Fai didn't answer, he snorted and uttered several more colorful curses before he called his father. No answer there either. The hair on the back of his neck started to stand. His father never not answered his phone unless there was a big meeting. There was no meeting now. Something was wrong.  
  
"Fuck!" He clenched his phone before shoving it back into his pocket. "Endo. There's a big problem. We need to go back to the house. Now."

* * *

Awareness came to Fai with sharp pain filled clarity. Buzzing shocks of agony stretched along the length of his leg and pooled in the tortured joint of his hip. Mantarou’s large hand was mercilessly tight around his swollen ankle and it took forced effort not to cry out with every sudden yank and pull at his limb, lest he alert his captor to his consciousness. So Fai tried to focus on something else, like where he was being dragged. A strip of wet, mildew-laden cloth had been wrapped around his eyes, leaving him to rely on his other senses for orientation.  
  
He knew they were in cave. Mantarou’s footfalls echoed off rocky walls, and Fai’s was back grabbed and rolled over the glass-sharp sediment of the dirt and stone ground. The awkward discomfort of his shirt getting dragged up under his arms left him vulnerable to scrapes and cuts. Fai felt exposed and cold. The damp chill clinging to his body got worse the further down the incline and away from sun-heated earth they ventured.  
  
Fai reached out, tentatively, to the flow of the natural forces. Stars and mind-warping pain stabbed at the back of his head. If only the agony stopped there. It spread down every branch of his nerves, his eyes, and his fingertips. Each one screaming in unison. Every pore and follicle burned to the point where he could have sworn he smelled cooked flesh. Fai’s body arched and retched itself up as if it was the earth itself grew talons to tear at the unmarred flesh of his back.  
  
“Oh, not yet.” Came Mantarou’s monotone mockery of empathy, the sound of it chilling Fai. “We still got a bit to go, little priest.” He yanked once more on the captive leg and fire burned once again in that damnable joint.  
  
Internally, Fai snarled. He was humiliated and left impotent of his powers. Mantarou had been aggravatingly well informed. Fai refused to believe that he just took a ‘lucky’ shot at the back of his head. It confirmed his suspicion. Someone was using Mantarou.  
  
Magic was not ability alone. It took focus, concentration, and active thought. Some skills were certainly passive, but if a magician’s head was viewed by an Active MRI, while casting, it would be a lightning storm; synapses firing off from every conceivable portion of the brain.  
  
Advancements of health technology in the modern era have helped define what was once thought to be pure mysticism and superstition. You only had to find a wizard insane enough to volunteer, or be one yourself. Luckily there was not a shortage of the ‘insane’ wizard demographic. Research revealed blunt force trauma to a magician’s head could, momentarily, destabilize their abilities making the use of magic, passive or active, pure agony.  
  
A wizard’s brain had to be working at full capacity. Gone were the pseudoscience’s concepts that ‘you only use the left or right half of your brain’ or ‘we don’t use our brains at full capacity’. The human brain is a series of parts, and they all work together to regulate every emotion, thought, action, and feeling a person has or will ever have. If one part is injured, most people are told to watch for swelling or few other symptoms and to carry on with their lives. For a wizard? It was comparable to a runner trying finish a marathon on a broken leg.  
  
Fai felt the two of them stop suddenly, and in the brief silence he heard the flow of water, the resonating sound of wind and earth echoing off the walls of a massive cavern. He could smell old rotten root, and the scent of something else, something chemical and stale.

“We’re just in time.” Mantarou whispered into Fai’s ear as he righted the mage, slipping the revolting cloth from Fai’s eyes.  
  
Unnatural torchlight blinded Fai for a moment as he blinked away the vision spots. He nearly recoiled into Mantarou, and the man seemed to thrill to the feel of him pressing against him. The cavern was massive. It stretched above them and disappeared into darkness leaving Fai clueless as to their actual depth. The cavern itself was almost as wide as it was tall with the center appearing to press in toward them. A thrust stage of earth stretched out from the arch way they came through and opened into a large body of earth and rock surrounded by a flowing pool of crystal clear water. Around them torches, impossible to reach by human methods, littered the walls. The glass smooth sided bits of stone embedded in the wall glittered in the captured light and filled the room with a thousand of imprisoned stars, which were compounded by the water and reflected into a thousand more.  
  
On the center of the inlet of earth stood the ruins of an ancient shrine. Broken pillars of tori gates laid about like wind torn branches, but rust red paint still shone with its lacquered finish, forever preserved and hidden away from the bleaching rays of the sun.  
  
Fai swallowed, anxiety trying to close his throat as he caught sight of two pillars that fell against each other like a cross landing upon its side. Fai narrowed his eyes and noticed a set of shackles hanging from them, their chains locked securely in place by the almost petrified wood.  
  
“Mantarou…” Fai started, his head tilting up to the man. He didn’t try to hide the concern in his voice.  
  
“Shhh. Watch. You wanted to know what was happening? Then watch.” Mantarou looked down at him with impassive dark brown eyes, and with a cruel hand Fai’s head was forced forward, held firmly in the same ankle twisting grip from before.  
  
For the first time Fai became aware that they were not the only people in the cavern. There was another figure here. Tall and slender it appeared despite the fine cloak of crimson that draped over its frame. A slender hand reached out and golden light erupted in a pattern off the floor. Fai started in recognition, still held in Mantarou’s bruising hold.  
  
Fai watched helpless as a small form started to take place on the crossed pillars. The shackles filled out and shifted down with the weight of the creature now held inside of them. It was the size of a child and covered in thick red fur from head to toe. Its face was disturbingly humanoid with a lion’s mane of red hair. From here Fai could tell the creature was severely intoxicated and appeared lost in whatever was happening around it.  
  
“Shoujou.” Fai whispered, brows knitting together. “What-“  
  
The Shoujou was a harmless drunkard of a creature. What could they possibly want to do with this yokai?  
  
Fai’s eyes widened in sudden realization as he watched the cloaked figure move closer. “You can’t…”  
  
The blissfully unaware expression of the small demon twisted into one of pure terror. Fai watched, helplessly, as the shoujou wiggled and squirmed in the constraints. He watched as it tried to disappear. He watched as it screamed in anguish.  
Fai struggled against Mantarou.  
  
“No! You can’t! STOP IT!” Twisting his body around, Fai clawed at the lean muscled arms holding him. His cries mirrored by unrelenting screams as the cloaked figure laid his hands upon the yokai, and the creature's beady eyes rolled back in its head.  
  
“NO!” Tears rimmed Fai’s eyes as he gritted his teeth. Power started to gather to him, the pain severing every nerve in his body until he could feel nothing but numbness. The ground around him rumbled and torches broke apart, falling into the moat. Rocks started to fall from the unseen ceiling, falling dangerously close to himself and Mantarou. One of the other pillars was lifted out of the earth and tossed into the water with a splash, but Fai was oblivious to any of it. He saw nothing but white light and feeling little more than rage, even as Mantarou grabbed his neck.  
  
Mantarou squeezed harder, until Fai’s cries were choked down to a gurgle. Instinctively the mage reached up to scratch and pull at the Yakuza thug’s arms. In seconds the power died down, color returned to Fai’s eyes, which now stared blankly out at were the Shoujou had been. Slowly, and almost reverently, with his hands still around Fai’s neck, Mantarou lowered Fai back down to the ground. Loosening his grip and allowing Fai to take in a breath that burned in his lungs. A black haze started on the edges of Fai’s vision and started to make its way into the center, blocking out everything but the faint blue vaper that swirled around the cloaked figure. It stood there as if everything that Fai’s rage conjured was nothing more than summer breeze. The blue haze congealed into a small pill, dropping from the air and right into that slender hand.  
  
Then there was nothing.

* * *

Although Endo was speeding, narrowly avoiding pedestrians and other cars, the drive back to the manor felt like it took hours, not mere minutes. Kurogane barely waited until the car was stopped, throwing open the door and practically falling out as he rushed towards the house. He could hear Endo's rushed footsteps behind him.  
  
"Mantarou?" He shouted as he rushed through the main room. No answer. "Otousama?" Again. No answer. The only sounds were those of Kurogane's and Endo's footfalls. How could it be that there was absolutely no one in the house? Not one of the maids? Not one of the men? No one? How was that possible?  
  
Kurogane felt his heartbeat quicken as he practically ran into the hallway leading to his rooms. The thudding of each of his steps echoed in his ears and only made the lack of people even more disturbing. Any other day, someone would have shouted to make sure everything was okay. Instead, his footfalls were met by the drumming of his pulse in his ears. Nothing else.  
  
The closer he got to his room, the more his body seemed to react. Something felt off in the air, and a sick feeling came to his stomach, like it was folding into himself and sinking in his abdomen. He stopped just outside his door, his hand trembling just slightly as he slowly opened it, and as he did, the stench of blood was so strong it almost caused him to fall back a bit.  
  
There was his father, face down on Kurogane'is futon. Blood soaked into the blankets and caking where it had dried over the past few hours. This had to have been done shortly after he left this morning. Fai was still there when he left, but he was also gone. Had something happened to him? Kurogane glanced around the room, eyes narrowed to see if he could see anything that might indicate there had been a struggle, or a second splattering of blood, or anything that would give him any clues, but there was nothing like that.  
  
There was only his father's body. Or at least he couldn't see anything else from his position in the doorway. He slowly walked into the room, ignoring Endo's loud gasp as the other man caught up to him. He crouched by his father's body and reached out to touch his hair when something flashed and jumped from the body to his hand and caused him to pull back. It was something like an electric shock. There was a bit of pain in the tips of his fingers where the spark had hit him, and he shook his hand a bit as if that would ease any pain. It didn't, and he hissed a little when he looked back down at his father.  
  
Magic. Magic had killed his father. Or at the very least, someone who can use magic killed him. He clenched his fists and grunted a bit. There was only one person he knew that had the ability to use magic and access to his bedroom. And that person was also gone right now. But there was no way Fai could have done this, right? That whole conversation he witnessed between Fai and his father was real. That whole thing with the tree was real. Or was it an act for Fai to get close and do this? It couldn't be, right? His father wasn't the one involved in everything. Mantarou was. But it was possible, wasn't it? As much as he liked to think he knew Fai well, he really didn't. There was a lot the other man wouldn't tell him, and now everything seemed to point to him. Fai had magic. Someone with magic killed his father. Fai was missing. Unless someone else could use magic and also took Fai away, it was looking pretty grim.  
  
With another grunt, Kurogane stood up, his fists still clenched. "I have to find him." Kurogane wasn't sure which 'him' he meant, though: Fai or Mantarou? Or both? Were they working together? Was there something in those lessons that lead to this? There was always something going on, and no matter how much Kurogane warned Fai not to get close to Mantarou, the other man never listened. And now his father was dead.  
  
"The priest? He did this? Wasn't he in here this morning?" Endo arched a brow, looking around the room, seeming to have overcome his initial shock, but there was pain, worry, and anger in his eyes, and Kurogane knew that same look was in his own as well. "How do you know? Where could he have gone? It's been a few hours at least, so he could be anywhere."  
  
Kurogane felt his rage grow. Endo was right, of course. Whoever did this would be long gone by now, and since no one else seemed to be on the property, he couldn't even ask anyone about any of this. They probably didn't even know his father was dead. "I don't know." And for a moment he felt so helpless. Here he was, standing over his murdered father's body, and there wasn't a damn thing he could do about it, not if he was killed by magic. If it had been a regular weapon, he could call the others and track the person down. But magic? And with no sign of a struggle or of anyone having broken in here?  
  
But there was something else amiss. The door to the veranda wasn't fully closed. There was a subtle, but distinct draft coming through the slight crack. It drew his attention to it, and he finally noticed the streaks of blood on the ground. Drag marks. So his father hadn't been killed here, and had been dragged in from outside. Kurogane rushed to the door and flung it open. He knew he wouldn't find the one who did it, but he could see the disheveled state of the garden, and the presence of the magic was even stronger here. It was like it was crackling in the air.  
  
He followed the crushed grass and bent flowers to the base of that tree, where the magic was at its peak, where his father's blood was puddled on the ground. He clenched his fists and uttered several curses under his breath. His father had likely been out here for an afternoon smoke when it happened. He wouldn't have suspected a thing. Why would he? He was always alone during his afternoon smokes. No one was allowed to bother him. Even Kurogane never had the guts to come out here during his father's alone time.  
  
Kurogane looked up at the branches of the large willow and let out an anguished yell, but before he could finish, a soft, green glow caught his eye. A little seed floated down from the branch, and he opened his hand to catch it. When it landed, it sat In his palm for a moment before it floated up a bit and danced around, jumping from side to side over his hand, up to his fingers, then back down to his palm. It flickered and dimmed when it was closer to Kurogane's wrist, and then it glowed even brighter when it moved towards his fingertips. He blinked and watched it a moment, watching it move to one side, so he turned that direction, and it flickered and glowed. He turned the opposite direction and it dimmed.  
  
He tested that again, trying to be sure. This little glowing wisp was trying to tell him where to go. He looked up at the tree once more, trying to see the shape of the matron spirit, but she wasn't there. He could feel her though, a soft breeze whirled around him like a warm hug, and the seed flashed again. "Thank you..." He whispered.  
  
Kurogane turned and looked back at Endo, who was now standing in the doorway to the veranda. The man was frowning, and Kurogane could only imagine what was on his mind. "Endo, no matter what happens, I need you to watch over this family and do what you think my father would have done."  
  
"Young Master, you're not planning on doing something stupid are you?" Endo frowned.  
  
Kurogane looked at him, and he knew Endo understood what he meant. "Do you think it's a coincidence that whoever killed Otousama did it out here with no witnesses and dragged him into my room? Or that the entire house is empty except for his body? Everything points to me, doesn't it? Killing the head to boost my position?" Kurogane snorted. The person who did this used him. He had become the easy scapegoat. It would have to be someone close to him. Someone who knew he wouldn't actually do this to his father, but that he'd also be easy to frame, considering his attitude towards almost everything.  
  
"I'm going to find his killer, and I'm going to kill whoever did this, and whoever helped that person do it." The little green wisp was flashing again, floating almost impatiently towards the door into his room. "You can help me or try to stop me." He followed the glow back through his room and past Endo. "Either way, do what he would have wanted you to do." He rushed out the door, that little green light showing the way. When he heard Endo's resigned sigh and footsteps behind him, he felt a little of the tension leave his shoulders.  
  
It didn't take long for the wisp to stop just outside an old, dilapidated tunnel entrance just at the edge of the condemned section of the property. The light flickered and faded, and Kuro caught the seed and tucked it into his pocket. The ground beneath his feet was muddy, but he could make out some footprints. They went into the tunnel, but then rather than footprints, mud was just smeared along the stone for a few meters, as though something had been dragged in.  
"Endo...Stay here." He didn't wait for Endo's confirmation before he ducked into the tunnel.

* * *

Fai’s shoulders burned. Every movement he made caused a protest of dull pulses down his spine that he could feel even in the tips of his toes. It was as if his whole body had fallen asleep and he was stuck feeling a sense of vibrating pins pricking every nerve he had.  
  
“Nn.” Fai groaned. There was another sensation. Something warm. Something wet. His fingers twitched, and an elegant eye brow arched up.  
  
What was that? A slug? A snail? It was roughly textured and yet soft. It felt like a human--Fai’s eyes snapped open and his head shot up to where his arms where chained and crossed at his wrists. Above him, Kurogane’s brother sucked and nibbled at Fai’s fingers, his tongue moving over each digit, then his mouth covered them until he felt the warning of teeth scrapping against his bottom knuckle and all the way along the finger, taking the ring off with a gentle tug.  
  
“M-Mantarou?” Fai’s voice cracked, his throat ached.  
  
"This is your fault." Mantarou spoke once he pulled that final ring from his teeth and placed it on the table with the others. "All of it is your fault." His voice was calm yet angry at the same time. Like he wanted to shout, but somewhere something was holding him back for now. He shook his head and stepped back so he could look up at the priest. No. The not-priest. The faker. Even in the candlelight, the man's pale skin and hair seemed to glow against the faded red of the broken, crossed torii columns he was tied up to.  
  
And as the light flickered and illuminated the liar's face, Mantarou frowned and narrowed his eyes. It angered him that someone so pure turned out to be so lewd. That someone who was supposed to be untouchable had allowed another to touch him and taint his skin again and again. He sneered just a little as he reached up and touched the collar of Fai's once white shirt, now stained with mud and the man's own blood. He pulled it a bit to expose one of those slight red marks that darkened his skin just at his collarbone. He had seen another one when he knocked Fai down earlier, and he just knew his brother was the cause of this. No, that man wasn't his brother. He was never his brother. He was just an usurper. He took his inheritance, his father, and even this pretty mage from him. Mantarou already took two of those things back, so it was time to take this third one.  
  
"You pretended to be so innocent, and yet here you are, my brother's whore." He yanked and pulled down on that shirt, ripping it open, sending buttons flying in every direction.  
  
A startled gasp was the only sound able to escape Fai’s lips. The buttons of his shirt rained down upon the ground and were sobering echoes that reverberated through the cavern. Fai’s body convulsed in a shiver as the damp cold air of the cave pressed down on him like a sodden blanket. He tried to take warmth into himself, and the immediate area getting steadily colder.  
  
Images played for Fai in his mind’s eye. Images of pain and suffering. Images of fear and terror. Images of the poor pitiable yokai. Rage was building in him again, sparking an inner furnace into life. Hard gemstone eyes lifted from under blond bangs. They were tired and weary, devoid of any expressive emotion but defiance, which glittered in every facet of their sapphire depths. In Fai’s ear, he heard a tiny cracking sound. Like a popping of a Christmas bulb before it disintegrated into silver dust. His eyes became harder, his back straighter and he felt his throat open, no longer impeding his words.  
  
"You have no idea what you're doing, Mantarou. All this? For what end?"  
  
"One of us doesn't know what I'm doing, and it's certainly not me." He watched the way the liar priest's finger shaped bruises over his neck started heal. He frowned and reached up to one ear and yanked the cuff off it, eyes narrowing as he noticed one of the gems was no longer there. "I see." He tossed that on the table with the rings and reached up to yank the other one off. "We can't have you doing anything rash, now can we, whore?"  
  
Mantarou's eyes seemed to darken a bit at the word as he looked over Fai's chest, the flesh now exposed to the damp air. Air that was cooling by the second. "Especially if you think I'm stupid enough to let your magic run rampant." He pulled a rubber band from his pocket and reached up, tying it around one of Fai's arms, smacking his forearm a bit and smirking at the result. "And we can't have you stopping me. Not when I have so much planned for that slutty body of yours." He walked a few steps away, to the table where he had placed those rings and earcuffs moments before.  
  
Fai watched Mantarou with a childlike curiosity. He blinked a few times when he tied the rubber tube around his bicep and as the implication dawned on him, Fai felt an emotion he hadn’t experienced since the first days of specialized training. Terror.  
  
Mantarou turned enough to keep Fai's hanging form in the corner of his vision as he worked over one of the candles, melting a substance in a spoon. He glanced at the mage and smirked again as he filled a syringe with the liquid and walked back over to him.  
  
“Wait. Mantarou. We can talk about this.” Fai reasoned with the man’s turned back, swallowing as he watched him work with a chemists precision over the open flame. He trembled as a caught a familiar scent of burning chemicals in the air, and he could feel the blood drain from his face when Mantarou turned around, syringe in hand, pushing the rubber stopper just enough to make a clear bead form on the tip.  
  
Heroin dripped to the floor. Pure unaltered heroin. Like what Kurogane and him found at wharf yesterday. Fai shook his head as he took those menacing steps toward him. “No. I don’t want it.”  
  
"I don't care. I don't want you using your magic against me, and right now what I want is much more important to me than what you want." Mantarou lifted his hand, smacking Fai's arm again before dragging the needle over the perfect spot and piercing that skin, pushing the piston until the chamber was empty. "You should behave."  
  
“Please, Mantarou. You don’t want to do this.” Fai pleaded. “Please. You don’t know the dang--“ The needle pierced his skin, cutting off the mage’s words as surely as a knife. Fai’s eyes widened, his lips parted as if to speak, his voice mute.  
  
Fai groaned, his head nuzzling into the crook of his arm and he appeared lost in the sensations rushing through his blood. His eyes darkened when his tongue came out to wet his parched lips. The thin sensitive flesh alive and making him shudder in the chemical swoon. It had him. It brought him up from the dank cold forgotten underground shrine and into a warm euphoria.  
  
"There are a lot of things I want to do." Mantarou practically cooed the words out as Fai's moan echoed in his ears. "And it looks like I received some good advice about how to get what I want." He reached up and pulled the elastic from the other man's arm and leaned in, dropping his voice to a mere whisper. "And it's not like you would have stopped using your magic if I just asked nicely, hm?" He let his tongue slide out of his mouth and along the shell of Fai's ear. "And now I know for certain that I can keep you docile with this." He smirked and took his earlobe into his mouth, sucking once before gently nipping it with his teeth.  
  
“Nn.” Fai didn’t want to moan, but he couldn’t stop it. It felt too damn good. Somewhere a part of him rallied and railed against what was going on, but all it was, was a dim echo in the blinding purity of sensation he was feeling now. He didn’t care what was happening to him, and he sighed out a low response to Mantarou’s words.  
  
Fai was above the pain, above the humiliation. It wasn’t that he couldn’t feel the things that were happening to him. His shoulders still hurt, and while the gem healed most of it, there was still a dull throb in the back of his head, but it wasn’t important. His lips moved again, this time under no volition of his own.  
  
“Stop.” Had he said that? When had Fai’s voice ever sounded so wispy and soft. Stop? What was supposed to stop? Something was happening. Something he didn’t want? Something that scared him?  
  
Fai hated that sober voice. The one that screamed at him. The one that wouldn’t let him drift away. The one that wanted him to see what Mantarou was about to do. The one that wanted him to get mad and use his power. _It won’t work, idiot. You’re drugged as all hell right now. Let me go. I don’t want to see any of this._ Fai thought amusedly as he belittled himself, but the voice got louder and louder inside of him, screaming in an all-out rage, now. Despite all that it only managed to get through another gentle utterance of the word ‘stop.’  
  
At that word, Mantarou pulled his head back and looked at the mage. Was he still fighting even as the heroin flowed through his veins? Was his source incorrect? The drugs were supposed to make him completely compliant. And that one word caused his anger to boil over. He reared his hand back and smacked Fai hard across the cheek, staring at him with such contempt. "You never told _him_ to stop. And look what he did to your beautiful body." He reached out and pressed his finger into one of the kiss marks on the other man's chest. "All over. Such disgusting little things." He pressed it again, then pressed another.  
  
“Not right? Not right.” Fai repeated the words, his head had snapped to the side when Mantarou struck him, but he lacked the conviction to pull it back. He was, however, a bit thankful to the idiot for that. The sharp sudden pain of his neck twisting got through the drug haze in his body and provided a lifeline to world outside of his head.  
  
Now, Fai felt the press of those fingers into his flesh as acutely as before. With it came a sense of urgency but his head was a jumble. A nauseating string of delusional thoughts and memories. He couldn’t hold on to any one thing. And couldn’t bring forward a spell or trick to save his life. His life. That’s what he was seeing now. His life, but not. Familiar feelings, images, and faces. It was his life? Wasn’t it?  
  
Twin boys, hand and hand standing before a monster with a crown of spikes on his head. He cursed the twins, he hated the twins. Fai saw body after body being thrown into a pit, and so calloused by then he would curl up to them and use them for protection and warmth. _Who?_ Fai tried to grasp that image to peer closer at the husk of a child, but the image vanished into a mosaic of cracked and breaking ice. Darkness blanketed his eyes until a flash of a lit match blinded him and saw himself years later before another monster, this one beautiful and kind. He trained the twins on ways to survive, teaching them how beauty and power can get you anything in this world, and that these twins were ample in both. He saw himself, standing alone a bridge in Paris. Lights flittering by as the traffic moved under him. The world was cold and uncaring, and he had never felt so bitterly alone. Half his soul gone. Rendered to tatters. _Yui.  
_  
“Yui.” Fai whispered, his eyes finding Mantarou’s, and they were cold for a split second. A cold hate-filled second gave a prophecy of pain and darker desires before they faded back to a dull lightless blue.  
  
If Mantarou had been startled by the look the other man gave him, he did a really good job of not showing it. Instead he leaned in really close, as though he were about to crush the other man's lips with his own, but instead he whispered. "Soon your body will be mine." He smirked and slid the hand that was at his chest down, his fingers pressing flat against his stomach and lower, over the waistline of his pants. "And soon you'll wonder why you didn't come to my bed in the first place." He popped open the button, smirking again as he moved enough to slide his tongue over Fai's jaw.  
  
“Why?” Fai whispered, is mind was phasing out again, the pain dulling and leaving him vulnerable. Though as he heard the snap on his pants coming undone, and the light subtle weight of gravity clinging the trousers to his hips, he wondered if he would be such a bad thing. He could sink back, forget everything and drift. At least that’s what he wanted to do. Fade away. He turned his head to the remains of the poor yokai that was in this spot just hours before, and he saw more and more spiritual remnants, like tiny corpses littering the stage like so many cast away trinkets. That’s why he was here wasn’t it? That’s what he was doing in this country. His jaw tightened, his head tilting back almost as though he were welcoming the feel of Mantarou’s touch against his skin, but another name gasped out from his lips.

“Kurogane.”  
  
"He can't do anything for you." Mantarou snapped a bit and licked Fai's jaw again, his hand pressing down between the man's pants and his underwear. "He doesn't belong in the world you belong in. And if he hadn't convinced you to snoop around, you could have had so much more, and so much better than this." His fingers rubbed against the cloth that protected the flesh he was searching for. "But instead you went in the wrong direction." He lowered his head and licked over the kiss mark at Fai's collarbone. "If you had just come to me, asked me. I would have given you anything and everything."  
  
“You can’t give me anything.” Fai’s eyes closed his voice a rasp, the ecstasy of the drug expired almost as quickly as it came on and left him in a haze. His body pressed back against the unforgiving petrified torii. He swallowed down his fear. If Mantarou was going to have his way, there was little Fai could do to stop him.  
  
Fai wasn’t a hapless virgin. Nor was he a woman who had to fear pregnancy. Fai would overcome this, just like he had a thousand other horrors in his life. He tried to convince himself of these platitudes, all the while, Fai could feel the scar on his soul being conceived by this one act. The worst part was knowing he had done it to himself. Fai held the blade in his own hand and dragged it down. With each touch he placed to Mantarou’s hand, with each warm smile he faked for those hopeful eyes, with each new lie he told, he dug the blade deeper and birthed the monster before him in a failed attempt to do what he thought was right.  
  
“Mantarou, I’m sorry.” Fai pitied the man. The human caught up in a war of demons. A pawn, a puppet, a mouth piece of the cloaked figure who preyed upon the weak. “Poor Mantarou…”  
  
"You should be sorry." Mantarou licked at that spot at his collarbone again. "I would have given it all to you. I would have loved you." And there was a moment when he almost sounded sincere and a bit pained, but it was fleeting, and he bit the flesh beneath his lips. "But you toyed with me. You knew I wanted you, and you led me on, bit by bit. You must have been laughing at me the whole time. How cruel of you. And I would have done anything for you." He nipped at that mark again. "But instead you did something stupid, and you snooped where you shouldn't have snooped. If all I can do is hurt, then that's your fault. And others will get hurt because of you."  
  
His fingers rubbed that cloth a bit more before he slowly dragged them up to the waistline of his underwear. "If you truly want to apologize for what you've done, if you want to stop me from hurting anyone else, be mine." His fingers dipped under that waistband and started to slide down towards his sensitive flesh.  
  
“I can’t give you something that belongs to someone else.” Fai’s head bowed as thought the weight of it had become too much.  
  
“But I should be the one who suffers for it.” Fai whispered a quiet will holding his tears at bay. “ Not those other people. Not the yokai. You can still stop.” Fai’s eye lids felt heavy and his words were drawn out and slurred, but he felt like he couldn’t hear them anymore. Was he even talking?  
  
"I don't want to stop." His fingers sank down more, almost touching that sensitive heat, but he turned his head. There were footsteps echoing in the tunnel, and he quickly pulled his hand back and stepped away from Fai, just in time to turn around as those footsteps came closer. "Aniki!"

Kurogane stepped through a dilapidated torii gate and looked at the scene in front of him. Fai was tied up and looked like something out of a horror movie, his head lulled. Mantarou was standing right next to him, a somewhat startled and guilty expression on his face. There was a table just off to the side, and Kurogane could see the candle flickering, an empty packet and some syringes next to it. Beyond that there were some weird lines on the floor, and there seemed to be a heap of something. It looked like some bodies, but there was no way those were humans. He frowned and stared at Mantarou. "What the fuck is this?"  
  
"I caught him, Aniki!" Mantarou ran up to his brother and grabbed his arm. "You saw it didn't you? That's why you're here? You saw what he did to Otousan, didn't you?"

Kurogane looked at his brother, his eyes widening a bit before he looked at Fai. "I saw..." If Mantarou knew, then Mantarou was in his room, and that had to mean Mantarou was at least involved. There would be no other reason for him to be in there or in the garden otherwise.  
  
Fai’s head remained bowed. The sound of Kurogane’s voice unleashed the levy on his tears, and they came, burning hot against the cold damp flesh of his blood and dirt caked cheeks but he said one word, so quietly it was barely a breath. “Shishiosan?”  
  
"He did it." Mantarou let go of Kurogane's arm. "He's been fooling all of us!"  
  
Kurogane slowly walked towards Fai, his fists clenching. Mantarou really wanted him to believe him when he said Fai did it, but if he did it, why would any of this be happening? Ten minutes ago, he could have been convinced, but now? After knowing Mantarou saw his father when he wasn't allowed in that part of the house? If Fai really had done it, then Mantarou was involved. That bastard. "Fooling us..." He would play along, at least until he was sure whether they were working together or not.  
"Yes! He used you to get close to Otousan so he could kill him!"  
  
“Kill? Dead?” Fai’s voice was soft and low, burdened further with a mournful sadness.  
  
Kurogane stood right on front of Fai. He reached his hand up to grab his chin, looking at his face and frowning a bit, even as Fai tried to lean his face into his hand, tears smearing the blood and mud on his cheeks. There was no way the man tied up in front of him hurt his father. There was no way he had been involved. Not when he looked like he had been beaten and dragged through hell and back. At least this explained that smeared mud at the entrance of the tunnel. Mantarou had done this, not Fai. Mantarou and someone or something else. "Mantarou." He looked over his shoulder at his brother. "How did you catch him?"  
  
"When I saw Otousan like that, I immediately went to look for you, but I saw him sneaking around to the condemned part of the land, and I followed him, hit him in the back of the head, and tied him up. I wanted to hurt him before I let you do it." Mantarou's eyes were wide, as though he were the most innocent thing in the world.  
  
"I see." Kurogane let go of Fai's chin and walked to his brother, resting his hand on his shoulder. "You saw him like that and just knew who it was who did it?" He arched a brow. "And you looked for me, but didn't call me?"  
  
"I saw him before I had a chance to call you" Mantarou shook his head a little.  
  
"And so you punished him for Otousan's sake. Without calling me and waiting for me?"  
  
"Yes, of course. He's a liar and fooled us all. I wanted to hurt him before you did. You'd hurt him a lot worse, and I wouldn't get any good hits in if I waited."  
  
"I see. Then you must really think lowly of me, since you think I'm an idiot." Kurogane shook his head, pulled his hand off Mantarou's shoulder, and punched him square in the jaw, causing him to cry out and sending him crashing to the floor, atop a portion of the lines drawn on the stone. The motion of his brother's fall drew his attention back to the table. Now he understood. Mantarou had drugged Fai, which explained the packet and the needles. He saw the glint of Fai's jewelry near the still flickering candle. He grabbed those rings and earcuffs and shoved them in his pocket before he quickly moved to untie Fai from the broken torii pillar.  
  
Something happened. Fai heard crashing and yelling. He had tried to follow, but couldn’t make sense of what was going on. Familiar figures were moving about, shadows and figments of blurred motion that were moving too slow and yet too fast. He felt more than saw Kurogane’s presence as a hulking form that blocked out the light. When his arms came free, he fell like a dead weight into the board chested Yakuza lord.  
  
“Kurogane,” Fai lifted a hand, fingers crooked like claws into Kurogane’s shirt. He tried to pull himself up, but there was no strength left in him. He remained slumped against the larger man.  
  
"Shh. We're getting out of here." Kurogane gathered Fai in his arms and quickly walked out of that hidden shrine, through the small tunnel that led there. He heard Mantarou's voice shouting from behind him, but he didn't stop. He didn't have time to stop. He had to get Fai somewhere safe.  
  
Endo was waiting for him, as he said he would be. He stepped to the side to allow Kurogane to move past him with that priest in his arms. He knew something bad had happened, and he could hear the shouts coming from behind his young master.  
  
"Make sure I can get away." Kurogane muttered to him. "I don't care how you do it, but make sure I can get out of here."  
  
"Of course." Endo nodded, then turned just as Mantarou burst out of the tunnel, blood dripping from his nose.  
  
"Endo! Stop him! That bastard fake son killed my father!" Mantarou gripped Endo's sleeve and tugged at it. "Stop him."  
  
Endo's eyes narrowed slightly. He knew damn well Kurogane hadn't killed the master, but he also knew what he had to do. He pulled his gun from the holster and aimed. One shot. That was all he needed, really. But to be safe, he fired two more times. Enough to convince the hysteric Mantarou that he had made three hits, even if he only made one.  
  
Kurogane lurched forward a bit. There was a searing pain in the back of his shoulder, but he pushed on. He took hurried steps and disappeared behind one of the older buildings.  
  
"What are you doing! Go after him!" Mantarou was practically shrieking, his fingers clawing at Endo's arm.  
  
"Young Master." Endo calmly pulled the hysteric man's fingers from his sleeve. "Have you ever known me to miss my target?" He looked at him and shook his head. "Let him go and take that murderous priest with him. The two of them will die before sunrise."

* * *

 It was quiet now. They were far from the sounds of yelling and gunshots. Fai only heard feet rushing along on wet sticky pavement, and Kurogane’s labored breathing. The air was filled with the putrid smell of garbage, filth, and blood. It nauseated Fai and he longed for the soft scent of the morning garden, for the fresh smell of rain against freshly turned dirt. He turned his head into Kurogane trying to curl into his scent.  
  
When Fai tried to open his eyes, his vision swam. The jerking motions of the encumbered body holding him, jostled him and forced the bile to rise.  
  
“K-kurogane, I need you to put me down.” Fai’s face went cold and he could feel his mouth start to salivate.  
  
"There's no time." Kurogane grunted as he carried Fai down an alleyway. "We're almost there. Hold on just a little longer." He was sure no one was following them, but he didn't want to risk it anyway. Not when his stupid shithead of an adopted brother was clearly so deranged that he would murder his own father and do all of this to Fai. "Just a little longer." He pushed open a door in the alley and carried Fai up a set of stairs, somehow unlocking another door and stepping inside, finally setting the mage down outside the small bathroom by the door and grunting at the shift in weight. Pain seared through his shoulder and he grunted again.  
  
Fai crawled to the bathroom, lifting his body up as his fingers clenched around the edges of the toilet and emptied his stomach of anything that remained. Even when he had nothing left, it kept twisting and pushing up, until he couldn’t breathe and bursts of lights blinded him. His body ached, his head screamed, and everything about him felt broken and bruised.  
  
Finally, Fai allowed his weight to slip to the side of the toilet when it was all over. His fevered skin finding solace in the tile, and he laid there for a long moment. He raised his hand up from against his thigh to halt any perceived notions of Kurogane coming to gather him up again. His breathing had become shallow as he closed eyes against the feeling of the drug still working his dark chemical magic in his body.

“Naloxone?” Fai asked his tone hopeful but not expectant. Organizations, be them medical or criminal often had the opioid antagonist on hand in case situations got out of hand.  
  
"The medicine cabinet." Kurogane grunted from outside the bathroom, carefully pulling the futon out and setting it up on the floor, hissing a bit with each movement.  
  
Fai looked up and sighed as he pushed himself up on the toilet seat then grabbed the sink, feeling it creak under even his slight weight. His muscles shook with the effort but with pure persistence he reached up to open the cabinet. Persistence was not enough, his strength gave way and the mage slipped to the floor, his arm cushioning his head, but accidently sweeping the sink free of any miscellaneous contents.  
  
Kurogane grunted again when he heard him fall, and he sighed, getting into the bathroom to help him up, and getting him the medicine he needed from the cabinet. "Can you do this?"  
  
“No.” Came Fai’s soft reply. “I can’t.”  
  
"Okay." Kurogane grunted and grabbed the needle, still trying to hold Fai up as he gave him the injection, but once it was done, he dropped the syringe to the floor and clenched his teeth. "Let's get you...to bed..." He managed as another wave of pain hit him.  
  
“I’m sorry.”  
  
"Don't apologize." Kurogane pushed that pain down enough to help him out of the bathroom and to the futon. It was a small apartment, which in this case was the best thing they could have had for a place to hide. He let Fai lay back, and he got a bowl from the small kitchen, setting it beside him. "In case you need it."  
  
Fai shook his head. “Shishiosan. I didn’t know. I didn’t protect him. I was there the whole time.” Eyes that were already red from exhaustion stung as more as new tears pushed through a body that nothing left to give.  
  
"Well, now I know you had nothing to do with it." Kurogane sighed and shook his head. "It's not your fault. It's just that bastard's okay? He did horrible things to you... But for now you need to rest and get better."  
  
“You were right.” Fai’s eyes closed, unable to stay open any longer.  
  
"Now's not the time for that..." He sighed and looked down at the smaller man. "You need to rest so you can get that stuff out of your system."  
  
“Kurosa.ma..” The mage’s body sunk into the bed, the pillows and blankets coming around him as he finally allowed himself the right to give in and fall into the darkness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reference Song: 
> 
>  
> 
> [ Castle of Glass - Linkin Park](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B-He6EzP5zY)


	16. Interlude IV

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the wait on this! Promise we are working on the next part. We procrastinated for obvious reasons. Enjoy and thank you for reading

The blankets felt heavier than usual around Kurogane's withering body. Today, he didn't even have the energy to move more than his head, which turned on the pillow and looked around the room. There was a part of him that wanted to tell Fai to leave, to not see him at his weakest, to not see him fade away to nothing, but he knew that neither of them would find comfort in that. Fai wasn't likely to find comfort in anything once this was over, but Kurogane didn't know what else he could do for his love.

He turned his head again until his eyes found the un-aging form of the man who had been his companion for almost his entire life. He smiled, a sad, lonely smile that was more pained than he had any right to be. He was going to be the one who would suffer the least for this. It was Fai who would go through the greatest hardship once Kurogane closed his eyes for the last time. He sighed, which sounded more like a wheeze than anything else, and he winced. 

"Fai..." He managed, ignoring the pain that burned in his throat when the sounds formed.

“Shh.” Fai whispered, his soft warm lips moving against the back of the hand he held and folded his cheek into the palm. It was still so big. Fai turned his head and over half his face could be cradled in Kurogane’s one loving touch. It was withered and wrinkled but still big enough to hide him, big enough to love him, and big enough to shield him from all that was to come.

“Sakurachan and Syaorankun will be here soon. You should save your strength to see them.” 

Kurogane closed his eyes at the soothing way Fai's voice surrounded him, but then he opened them again and let out another wheezy sigh. "I'm sorry." This wasn't what he wanted. He never wanted to leave Fai behind, but they both knew it was inevitable, and they had both been tiptoeing around the subject for years. It wasn't until Kurogane's body started to fail him that they really had to address it. 

And it became even more prevalent when Kurogane no longer had the strength for an artificial arm. Even a simple one. It was much more comfortable without it. And so it was his only hand that Fai was burying his face in, and his wrinkled, bony fingers twitched against that soft, smooth cheek. "Forgive me..."

Fai swallowed around the sour lump that was forming in the back of his throat. “Kurosama.” Fai playfully allowed those bright clear eyes to poke through his ashen fingers. “Remember what I said.” He shifted himself so he could crook his other arm down and allow his fingers to play in Kurogane’s salted hair.

“Don’t ask for forgiveness when you’ve given me a lifetime.” Fai’s jaw tensed when he met his lover’s ruby eyes. They were barely dulled by age and gods they were still so strong! They sparkled with so much of the life he’d lived, and Fai wanted to make sure Kurogane knew there was not a damn thing he should regret.

“You showed me how to live. Please don’t ask me to forgive that.” 

Kurogane managed a slight nod. That was the most he could do without straining too much. He looked up at Fai, who in this moment looked like the purest of angels, his blue eyes only seeming to brighten due to the tears he was clearly trying to hold back. It made Kurogane feel both overwhelming happiness, but also crippling sadness. How could he be stuck in such a useless form, abandoning his lover through no fault of his own? “Then…promise me you’ll live. For the kids. For yourself.” 

Fai’s smile faltered, and he started to say something when there came a soft knock at the door. Instinct told the mage who was there. “Come in.” 

The door slid open and a young couple came through. They were a good-looking pair, brown and strawberry hair, complimentary eye colors and bodies that were cursed as well as Fai’s to be trapped in their mid-twenties. Though blessed by living through that near immortality by having each other. Fai did his best to hold back his bitterness.

“Faisan.” Sakura wrapped his loving arms around him. She was so young in comparison but whenever she opened her arms it felt like a mother’s embrace. Fai had joked about it once or twice before but she would always smile at him in that sweet way young girls do and say “For all the times you did it for us, I’m happy I can give some of that back to you.”

Syaoran came next, hugging Fai tightly his hands pushing some hair out of the thinner man’s face before letting him go. Fai didn’t meet his eyes when they were quested for. He was afraid of Syaoran right now. Afraid of something the young shaman would see or pull out of him as a man who shared the same wounds with another. “Faisan…”

“Go on, he’s awake and very alert. Not shocking. That man wouldn’t lose his senses if he got knocked upside the head. I’m going to check on the children, make sure they settled in their rooms okay.” 

“Yes, of course.” Sakura walked to Kurogane’s bed side and leaned down to kiss his forehead. A privileged reserved for only the man’s children.

“I’ll be back soon.” Fai gently lifted Kurogane’s hand and kissed the back of it. “Do you need anything? Tea? Sake?” He pushed the joke through.

“Just come back soon.” Kurogane whispered, his eyes lingering on Fai’s form until he shut the door behind him. He sighed and looked over at Sakura and Syaoran, a pained smile coming to his lips. It wasn’t fair. Everyone else was fine except him. But he wasn’t going to complain, or say anything to make them feel bad. So he just smiled at them as best his thin lips would let him. “I never wanted either of you to see me like this, you know.” His voice was a little softer than it had been moments before, as though he was struggling to get the words out, though not because of any pain he felt. It had been like this when he spoke with his children earlier in the morning. When he told them and their children that he loved them. That they needed to take care of Fai. He blinked slowly, trying to prevent the tears from glazing in his eyes, but he knew that his feeble eyelids couldn’t stop it. 

“I’m sorry.”

Syaoran shook his head and gently rested his hand on Kurogane’s shoulder. “Don’t apologize for being you.” He glanced at Sakura, who’s tears were freely falling down her cheeks as she stroked Kurogane’s hair. When he looked back at Kurogane, he smiled softly. “We will make sure to live in a way that will make you proud.”

“You don’t have to worry about that.” Kurogane whispered and looked a little helpless. He wanted to comfort them, but he couldn’t. All he could do was look. 

When the door slid open again, he glanced over at Fai and managed another slight smile. 

Fai glanced around the room, smiling tenderly. “Was I gone too long?” He walked up behind Sakura and kissed the back of her head as he reached over and carefully cleaned up the tears on Kurogane’s cheek. “Everyone is settled in for the night, they have the kids playing in the yard.” Fai stopped talking when he heard the childish chimes of laughter in the distance as though he needed the proof. 

Fai sat himself down on the edge of the futon, grabbing Kurogane’s hand and holding it in his lap as the four of them spoke. Once in a while Fai would stroke his lover’s hair or his cheek as they retold old stories and rehashed adventures. Spilling secrets or activities that neither party was aware of until this moment. Fai’s eyes drifted down to Kurogane’s. It was a good life. Filled with every adventure and every happiness any person could imagine for themselves. There was nothing that could be left wanting.

_More time._ Fai thought selfishly. _Always more time. I’m not ready for you to go. Don’t leave me._ Those pleas never made to his lips, and were silently locked away and hidden deep and scrawled just on his heart.

Kurogane listened, unable to participate as much as he would have liked. His hand twitched in Fai’s and he glanced at him as he felt himself grow weaker. He didn’t want to go, but he could feel the pull coming more consistently now. “Promise.” He whispered. 

Fai swallowed hard again, but the sting came. “Kurosama…” He fought saying the words and fought as the intuitive kids picked up on some signal in the room and left with kisses and hugs leaving Fai feeling numb to everything but the burning in his eyes. 

“Don’t make me.” Fai whispered. They were alone now and his voice came out sounding thick and sticky with what he was holding back.

“I…won’t make you promise to live forever…” Kurogane groaned softly. When had the kids left? He hadn’t even really noticed, and he knew that was a bad thing. “Just…don’t let the children lose both their parents so quickly…please.”

Fai could see it. He saw enough people die in his life to pick on how the skin started to dull, the eyes became unfocused. Cheeks appeared gaunter in just seconds. Kurogane must have been in so much pain. “I’ll do everything I can. To make sure they’re taken care of. I’ll be myself and you for as long as my heart can handle it, but… I…” The tears came, hot and uncaring of any strength Fai was trying to project. 

“I don’t know how to live without you… What am I supposed to do? How am I strong when you’re not here?” Tears ran down his cheeks and into the hand Fai whispered into.

“My body…is dying, but I am always with you.” Kurogane’s voice was barely a whisper. “Always. I love you.” His eyes started to close, and he was clearly fighting it, but soon the pull tugged him too far and he sank into nothing.

Fai blinked as the hand he clutched slackened. “Kurosama?” He got up from the bed and leaned over the still figure. 

“K-kurosama?” Fai’s lips trembled. “No. No. Come on.” He didn’t want those to be his last words. He didn’t want Kurogane to be comforting HIM with his last shuddering breath. “No. Please? Kurogane…” Fai bowed his head, a sob choking his throat, face pushed into the pillow by the deaf ear. “Please… I can’t… I… I love you.”


	17. Various Storms and Saints

Fai darted up from the bed, hot tears streaming unchecked down his cheeks. It was too much. The pain too real. He clutched a hand over his chest feeling every memory stab his heart in a fraction of a second. Deserts, jungles, high rises, snow caps. Grave yards. Oh god. Fai chocked back on another sob as his hand tried to hold it. He took a long moment to get a grip on his surroundings. Where was he last? In a bedroom, right? Over a futon. With someone.

“Kurogane!” 

“Wait. No.” Fai shook his head. “I was-a shrine. I-where?” It was hard to think and everything hurt. His shoulders felt like they had been dislocated and popped rapidly back into place. His mouth was dry, his lips chapped, and his eyes burned. 

Kurogane was sitting next to the futon, head bowed, breathing mostly even, but slightly ragged. The blood from his wound had soaked through his shirt, the smell bordering on the scent of death. 

“Eh?” Fai turned, his hand trembling as he reached out to touch the other man in his bed. “No.. Kur.. kurognae!” He jumped over to him, straddling his waist. He couldn’t wrap his head around what was going on. “Kurogane!” 

Fai slapped his cheeks to rouse him. The hits getting progressively harder. “Wake up damnit! Fuck! Kurogane! Kurosama!!” 

“Nnn.” Kurogane groaned and he slowly lifted his head, his eyes opening and looking up at Fai. For a moment, confusion swept over him, but as the events from hours before started to sink in, his brows furrowed. “Why are you hitting me…?” He grunted a bit, wincing when he moved too much and a burning pain shot through his shoulder. “Fuck…the bullet…”

“Bullet?” Fai’s brows pushed together before he nodded. “Oh! Okay. Okay. I can handle that. Umm. First aid kit?” The slender man stood up from the bed and looked around the small room before walking toward the bathroom, stumbling the faintest amount. “Here? In here?”

“Yes.” Kurogane tried to turn his head to follow Fai, but he winced a bit. “Don’t push yourself…You were pretty bad off.” But he knew he needed to get that bullet out and his wound stitched up soon, or he would likely end up with an infection. 

“I’m fine. I’ll be fine.” Fai shook his head before getting the kit, knocking a few things over while he did. He rushed back to his bed side. “I’m not completely sure what I’m doing. I’ve only done this on a cat. Or… I..” He blinked, memories flushing into his head about a metal arm and daft fingers expertly attaching limbs. Oil and blood staining fingers that refused to slip.

“Here.” Fai took out the scissors and cut up the sleeve of Kurogane’s shirt. “Sorry. I can’t make you lift your arm.” He ripped the shirt off the rest of the way before he hissed at the wound. “Okay This isn’t going to feel good. You should bite down on something. I have to dig around in there.” As he spoke he started to clean off a pair of metal tweezers with a few wipes that came with the kit. “And this.” He shook a bottle of 100 proof whiskey. “I need to disinfect it.”

“I couldn’t lift my arm even if you wanted to make me.” Kurogane snorted. “This isn’t the first time. I’ll be fine. Just don’t cut more of me than you have to.” He sat oddly still, the fist on his uninjured side clenching a bit. As painful as this was going to be, it was a distraction from the earlier events. He would take as many bullets as it took to ease the pain of knowing he couldn’t have protected his father, that he was only barely able to save FaI, but even there he had failed immensely.

“Okay.” Fai doused the area in the alcohol, then used the wipes to get stubborn debris or fibers out the wound before he pushed the tweezers inside. He kept his eyes hard and focused trying to see where the bullet could have gone. However, determination alone didn’t stop the tears still rolling down his flushed cheeks. 

Kurogane grunted a little, but otherwise he managed to remain still, clenching his fist and squeezing his eyes shut. It hurt like hell, but he knew Fai was trying to do his best, so he would bear with it.

“I got it!” Fai sat up a little straighter as he extracted the bullet sighing when it was in one piece. “Thank god.” He blew out a puff of air as he put it down on the table.

“I’m going to close it the wound, you might get some scarring.” 

“I’m pretty sure my back is already fucked, so it’s not a big deal.” Kurogane breathed a little easier once that intrusive object was out. That fucking old man sure knew what he was doing when he shot him the way he did.

“Okay.” With another bath in whiskey, Fai threaded a needle and sewed up the wound. He traced over it with a careful finger when he was finished. “Almost, done.” He cleaned the area one more time and bandaged it with gauze. 

“Shouldn’t hurt as much now.” Fai smoothed out the bandage as he moved to the front to inspect further. His eyes became distant seeing something that was miles away rather than right in front of him. “Kurosama.” He whispered, leaning in to kiss the shoulder, his upper arm, and his neck where he cradled his face between his shoulder and Kurogane’s strong jaw.

“You’re not allowed to die on me.” Fai said. “I can’t survive that.”

“Don’t be so quick to kill me off, then.” Kurogane slowly unclenched his fist now that Fai was done patching him up. “And don’t do anything reckless that makes me think you’re going to die either…”

In response Fai curled in tighter, careful of the wound. “Rest. Okay? We’ll talk more in the morning. I won’t leave this spot. So rest.”

“It would be better if you laid back down at least. You were a mess.” Kurogane looked at him. “Then I can lay down, too, if that’s what you want me to do.”

“Lay down like this.” Fai mumbled. “I’m not letting you go.”’

“All right.” Kurogane slowly moved them so he was half laying on Fai, his head resting against the smaller man’s chest. There was no way he could sleep on his back with his wound the way it was, so this would have to do. And he was sure he wasn’t crushing Fai anyway. “Are you really okay? You were crying…”

“Don’t worry about that.” Fai hugged him closer, his face buried into the soft black hair, one hand pushing into it, gripping the locks gently but with a level of desperation of a forgotten lover. “Just rest.” He kissed into his hair, more tears rolling down his cheeks. “You’re here. You’re safe. It all worked out.”

“How am I supposed to rest when you’re upset?” Kurogane sighed, but he let Fai hold him however he wanted to. “Are the drugs still in your system? What can I do to make you feel better?”

“I’m okay.” Fai breathed into Kurogane’s hair, his body trembling. The scent of him was different, but there was an underlying similarity. A scent of a shrine. The gentle spice of something sacred. A place designed to protect faith. “It’s okay.” 

“And you want me to believe that when you’re trembling and crying?” Kurogane nuzzled his head against Fai’s chest a bit as if that would help. 

“For now. I don’t have the will or the stability to explain anything. So for now. Yes. Believe it. Just let me hold you. That’s all I need.”

“All right…” Kurogane sighed and closed his eyes. He didn’t like it. He didn’t want Fai to still be upset. 

Fai’s breath shook as he stroked his hair.

Kurogane kept his eyes closed, but he didn’t sleep. He just listened to Fai’s breathing. Too much had happened for them to be really okay right now, and Kurogane didn’t like Fai trying to push that, but he wasn’t going to argue. Not when Fai clearly needed to convince himself that he was okay.

“I love you.” Fai whispered, his voice barely above the whisper of a breath as his arms held him close. “I love you.” He repeated, kissing his hair. 

“Eh?” Kurogane’s eyes opened and he looked up at Fai as best he could without moving his head. “You do? Really?”

Fai’s body froze, but he turned his eyes off to the side. “I… I thought you were sleeping.”

“Well I’m glad I wasn’t.” Kurogane kept his eyes turned up at him. “I was resting like you told me to. I just wasn’t asleep."

“You should keep resting.” Fai’s cheeks got a little more pink under the flush of his tears. His eyes still red and swollen.

“I can still rest and be happy that you love me.” Kurogane closed his eyes again. “If you meant it, of course.”

Fai traced his finger down Kurogane’s hair line and over his jaw to touch his surprisingly full lips. “I would never say something like that, and not mean it.” His finger continued to gently move over the soft skin. “I was born to love you.”

He couldn’t help himself when he kissed Fai’s finger, opening his eyes once more to smile a little at him. “Oh yeah? That’s pretty deep you know.” He nuzzled the mage’s chest a little. “I’ve never loved anyone before, but I love you. I’ve felt it for a little while, but I didn’t think you would feel the same way, so I didn’t say anything.”

“Kurorin.” Fai tilted the larger man’s head up and nuzzled his temple down to his lips. “I love you with every part of who I am, right down to my soul. I can’t lose you. I’m sorry you had to find me in such a pathetic state, I promise he did little more than touch me. He took my rings though. That dick”

“I got all of that. They’re in my jacket pocket.” Kurogane nuzzled and sighed. “I’m sorry I wasn’t there sooner. I should have killed him for even thinking about touching you.” He looked up at him. “I got shot for you. I’d do it again in a heartbeat if it meant protecting you. And look, you didn’t lose me. You won’t. I’m too stubborn.”

“Everything has a life span.” Fai bowed his head. “Trust me on that one.”

“Well yeah, but I’m not going to leave you.” Kurogane blinked and nuzzled. “I was trying to be encouraging, but I guess that backfired.”

“No, no. I’m sorry.” Fai sighed and wrapped his arms a little tighter around Kurogane. “I’m a little out of sorts.” He said, putting a lightness to his tone. Fai wanted to derail the conversation a little more. He was not ready to talk about what had happened to him. Or why he avoided focusing on anything for too long. When he tried to take in his surroundings they became overlaid with ghost images. Visions of a place he’d never been, but a place he knew better than any home he’d ever lived. When he looked at Kurogane, he saw the face of a man who was similar yet different staring back. Weathered skin, graying hair, tried eyes that sparkled while frowning or smiling.

“You’re so handsome.” Fai touched Kurogane’s cheek. It was smooth, warm, and alive. “Your eyes… I could look into them all day.” His thumb trailed just under the lid, marveling at how long his lashes were.

Kurogane couldn’t help the slight look of concern that crossed his face, but he said nothing, and just decided it was probably best to let Fai just touch his face. “I don’t want to upset you, but you’re acting weird. Are you sure the drug’s out of your system?”

Fai shook his head, his complexion pale. “Yeah.” He laid down, his eyes closed. “Maybe there’s still something there.” He lied, he knew damn well what was wrong with him. 

“I mean, I like having you touch me and flatter me.” Kurogane sighed a little. “But you just seem distracted by my face. So I thought maybe I look different to you because that stuff’s still in your system. I just want you to be okay.”

“I’m not okay.” Fai whispered his resolve crushing as soon as he built it up. “I’m really not okay. I want to tell you everything, but I can’t right now.”

Kurogane sighed again and closed his eyes. “All right. I won’t push it.” He whispered, hoping the lack of volume in his voice would hide how much those words bothered him. He should have known Fai wasn’t ok. He wasn’t very convincing before when he was crying, so why would he be okay now?

“I promise. I’ll explain. I’m just too tired.” Fai sighed. It was not a lie. He was not sure he could relive everything right now. He felt sick and he felt spent. “When I wake up, I promise.”

“It’s okay if you can’t then, too. Just sleep. I’ll be right here.” Kurogane kept whispering. 

“I know I need to, but I’m scared. If I wake up and you’re gone.”

“I will be here. And if you’re still unsure, hold me. I won’t be able to move without you feeling it.”

Fai nodded his head, his arms getting tighter, still mindful of the wounded shoulder. “Thank you.”

Kurogane shifted so he could hold Fai as best he could with their positioning. “You don’t need to thank me, just sleep.”

Slowly and little by little Fai started to fall asleep, it was a far cry from restful, however. His brow was furrowed tightly, his jaw tight, as his dreams came crushing into his consciousness. 

Kurogane was acutely aware of how badly Fai was sleeping, since he was laying with his head on the slender man’s chest. He sighed softly with every shift and whimper, and he tried to nuzzle his head in a way that would bring comfort to the man. He would have just pulled him into his arms, but he had to be careful of the freshly closed wound on his back.

He didn’t really know how many hours passed with them like that. Fai restless, Kurogane fading in and out of sleep, but there came a point when he just couldn’t sleep anymore, so he slowly pushed himself up, careful to put his weight on the side that didn’t get torn by a bullet. It also didn’t help that he couldn’t actually move the arm on the injured side. It just wasn’t responding. He assumed it was trauma from the wound, and he hoped that was the case. With a wince, he slid off of Fai and pushed himself into a sitting position beside the futon, reaching out with his other hand and gently touching his cheek. 

Fai’s eyes snapped open, wild and terrified as he stared at the unfamiliar ceiling. “Kurogane!” He darted up then looked to the side, pale disheveled and unnerved, but when his eyes landed on the form of the young Yakuza his expression settled. “Shit.” He sunk into the bed again, arm coming up to cover his eyes. The puncture wound in his arm red and inflamed, was turned up to the light. 

Kurogane blinked, then shook his head a little and moved his hand to gently touch his arm. “Is it infected? We should get this cleaned. He looked at him, lips curving downward. “You were having a nightmare or something?”

Fai’s lips crest into a deep frown, still the only part of his face Kurogane could see. “Something.” Silence filled the room. A ticking clock somewhere on a wall counted the seconds and then the minutes until Fai spoke again. “Do you know anything about past lives?”

“No…” Kurogane shifted and reached for that first aid kit, scooting some on the floor because it was just out of reach. He grabbed the kit and scooted back, looking down at Fai’s arm. “We should at least bandage that up…” 

“If I told you, they were real? That inside every person there’s a soul that can either be new or something as ancient as time?” Fai let Kurogane take his arm. “And if a soul is strong enough, or determined enough it can manifest a consciousness inside the new body? Or even shape the body it will take?” 

Kurogane blinked, but he was frowning slightly as he looked at Fai’s wound. He shook his head a little and looked up at him. “Well I don’t know anything about it. Are you saying they’re like that?” He let go of his arm to grab an antiseptic packet, ripping it open with his teeth and pulling the wet cloth out, gently cleaning off his arm. “Sorry if this stings.”’

Fai’s pinky twitched at the touch of the cloth, but the mage didn’t show any further reaction to the antiseptic. “I’m saying, I’m like that. I lived a life a long time ago. Not all that different from this one, actually.” Fai lifted his arm and looked up at Kurogane. “If I tell you a story. Will you believe me?” Those eyes that were normally so bright with a glimmer of playful wickedness, now seemed so tired and wary. 

He shook his head a little as he looked at Fai as he cleaned his wound. Something about the way Fai was speaking made him feel like the man was being completely truthful. The tired look in his eyes only solidified that idea. “Yes, I’ll believe you.” He said as he carefully maneuvered a bandage with his one hand, nose wrinkling when he couldn’t get it open, so he handed it to Fai. “Can you open this for me?”

“Aa.” Fai sat up, watching him as he opened the package and handed it back to him. “You should still be resting. Or maybe we should take you to a real doctor?”

“Absolutely not. Not yet. Mantarou would have put out a notice that I was shot after murdering my father, and they’d be stalking every clinic and hospital in Tokyo. Endo shot me this way on purpose. They’ll be distracted waiting for me to show up, and when I don’t, they’ll assume I died. I’ll be fine in a few days.” Kurogane shook his head and carefully put the bandage on Fai’s wound. “Besides, you can’t tell me what you want to tell me if we get caught.”

Fai looked forward then down, pulling his knees to his chest. He wrapped his long around his legs as if that could protect him from what was about to happen. “It’s a long story.” 

“We have plenty of time.”

“Alright.” Fai sighed out his trepidation before he started telling the story of a princess, her feathers, and the band of tragic heroes who followed her on her journey. He told Kurogane of the two pawns who fell into each other and had become the only world the two of them ever needed. Then of the death of the Ninja. The death that took the last ounce of life the mage had left inside of him, and as he did fresh raw tears ran down Fai’s cheek as though he were living it all again.

Kurogane listened patiently, focusing on Fai’s words rather than the dull pain in his shoulder. When the other man’s tears fell, he gently lifted his hand and wiped them from his cheeks. “That sounds so painful. I’m so sorry you went through that.”

“I’d never felt anything like that before.” Fai’s hand clutched over his chest. “Like part of me dying. Every step, every moment, every waking hour after was painful memory of what wasn’t beside me anymore. I’d come home and my hand would search the empty spot beside me on the bed, and I’d only feel air. Eventually even the scent of them had been washed away by time.”

Kurogane lowered his hand from Fai’s cheek to the hand over his chest, gently resting his over it. He wasn’t sure what else he could say at the moment, so he tried to comfort him as best he could.

Fai clutched his hand and look up at Kurogane. “It doesn’t end there.” 

“What do you mean?” Kurogane looked at him. 

Fai bowed his head his skin looking pale and green. “I couldn’t do it. I wanted to. For you! I wanted to. I wanted to keep going. To live until gods, who knows. But I couldn’t. I watched our children grow old and die, and their children. Soon I was a forgotten ghost in our own house. Sakura and Syaoran, they had lives of their own, and my own bitterness didn’t let me go there.” Fai sniffed, rubbing his eyes with his sleeve. “I was at your grave. Cleaning the vines from it, and Watanuki appeared like he always does.”

Kurogane continued to watch him, trying to keep his face neutral. He wasn’t really sure what to say because honestly this was too farfetched. But Fai believed it, so he would believe him.

“I couldn’t go on any more. I couldn’t do it. I asked for something, something I knew you would hate.” Fai’s eyes closed tightly but it didn’t levy the tears. “I wanted—” He swallowed hard. “I wanted to stop. Not to die. But to just stop. I asked for something impossible, but those other two did something even more impossible. I asked to be reborn. I wanted Watanuki to take half my remaining life and give it to you and my reborn soul. So that wherever you ended up if we met we wouldn’t be separated again. The cost was for half of my life. Or my living potential.” 

Kurogane arched a brow. “So…you’re saying it was me in that other life you remember? And you asked for me to be reborn with you?”

Fai looked up at Kurogane his arms hiding his face but he nodded his head. “Yeah. That’s the short of it.”

Kurogane bowed his head as he thought about it. It was ridiculous. There was no way that was possible. But then it might have explained why he was drawn to Fai the night they first met. It also left a bad taste in his mouth. Did that mean Fai only liked him because he resembled his lover in a past life? How could he even be sure it was him? Kurogane didn’t have any of those memories. But then again, it might explain why that glasses-guy looked at him the way he did when they were in the shop, or why that weirds stuff happened. He didn’t know. He didn’t understand. 

He sighed a little and looked back up at Fai. “And you’re sure it happened? That we were reborn because of that?”

Fai was silent for a long time, the question hurt. Fai didn’t blame Kurogane for it, the man didn’t know what he was implying by asking it. “Yes. I’m sure it happened. I know it did.” He turned his head and it was suddenly possible to think that such a tall frame could really close in on self to the point where it may disappear. 

“It isn’t that I don’t believe you.” Kurogane reached out and touched his head, gently stroking his hair a little. “It’s that it’s a little…I mean I don’t know anything about it. So if you’re sure, then I believe you.”

“Aa.” Fai’s head sunk deeper. “I know. I told you that from the start. Don’t force yourself to humor me.” 

“I’m not the type to humor someone.” Kurogane kept stroking his hair. “Do you think I’d do that? Or do you believe me when I say I believe you?”

“Then ask me a question. If you believe me. You have to have some.”

“I do, but is now really the time?” He kept playing with that blond hair. “You’re so upset. What if my questions accidentally upset you more?”

“Try me.” Fai’s voice was on the verge of annoyance. “I would rather get this out of the way now, than wait until later.”

Kurogane actually flinched at the tone of Fai’s voice and he pulled his hand back from his hair, letting it fall into his lap, where he stared at it, his head bowing once again. “Are you sure you love me?” His voice was quiet. It was kind of a pathetic question, but he wasn’t asking it because he didn’t think it was possible or true. “If it’s because you have these memories of the other me…” He shook his head slightly. “And if all of that happened, and you wanted us to not be separated, why would we be born separated? What if I wasn’t forced to go to Italy? Would you have still talked to me once you got here…?”

Fai straightened up and looked at the other man. His head cocked to the side, the longer blond hair falling over his face. He was expecting accusatory questions. Questions that would try to force some kind of evidence that Fai was crazy or that his story didn’t make sense. Instead he got ‘Are you sure you love me?’ It was so sweet and so vulnerable, Fai couldn’t help himself as he reached out to touch his cheek with his fingertips. 

“Of course I love you.” So simple. “The moment I realized it, had nothing to do with the past. You held me just the other day in the garden. Your arms around me and your cheek pressed up to mine. I loved you then. I loved you while we sat in the car waiting for a sign to move in on the warehouse and you reached your hand over to touch my stomach. The way you teased was so warm and gentle. Even though you REALLY hated the shirt. I loved you that night when you held me in the bath and cleaned the blood from me. That is how I know I love you.”

“The rest? Was just consequence. There are never guarantees. I risked everything on a chance.” Fai touched Kurogane’s lips. “I’d do it again.” 

Kurogane couldn’t keep his eyes from closing when those fingers came to his cheek. It wasn’t like him to ask things like this, or to be worried about emotions or things like that, but he knew he needed Fai. After everything that happened, this was a connection that he didn’t want to lose. They had been through so much, and if anything separated them, he didn’t know what he would do with himself. 

And Fai was the only one allowed to see him like this. That alone was enough for him to be convinced that what the mage said was true. It was strange, and it totally seemed impossible, but there were so many little bits here and there that just made sense. If they were reincarnated, yet still separated, it might explain their desperation for each other. It might explain why Kurogane got those strong feelings of possessiveness when it came to Fai. 

It might also explain his childhood, but that was something he didn’t want to think about right now. So he just nuzzled those fingers with his cheek, then his lips. “So you won’t regret it?”

“Regret what?” Fai moved in closer sitting up on his knees so he could look down at him, pressing their foreheads together as his fingers traced down his neck and back into his hair. “IF I can do this again. What is there to regret?”

“It took so long to find me, didn’t it?” Kurogane’s eyes closed. “Doesn’t that worry or disappoint you?”

“I found you all the same.” Fai kissed his forehead, then each temple. “I found you, and without knowing or understanding anything, I made you mine.”

Kurogane kept his eyes closed, but he managed a tiny little nod, careful not to knock into the other man. “Okay…” He paused for a moment, but then he murmured. “I don’t think I like it…that someone else had you before I did… Not if you wanted us to never be separated.” He was being too honest, probably. But there was a small knot in his stomach that was growing heavier, and he wasn’t sure why.

Fai froze. His eyes widening before he lowered down to sit on his legs, his eyes unable to look up. “I…” What could he say to that? Fai was a far cry from a virgin then night he met Kurogane. “I’ve been with a few people.”

“I know that, and I understand it. I’m not mad.” Kurogane sighed and looked at him. “Obviously you couldn’t have known. I couldn’t have known, and I have done it too. I just….something in me doesn’t like it.”

“I’m sorry. I—” He what? What was Fai apologizing for? He was given this vessel and he defiled it? Broke it? Hell Fai was nowhere near being a saint before. Why was it upsetting now? Just because he gave himself to a demon? He used his body as a homme fatale? He gave himself without thought or consideration for some end goal that wasn’t even his?

Fai shook his head, closing his eyes against the onslaught of moral indignities that were not his own. “They were never pure to start with.” Fai snarled as though cursing someone else who was in the room.

Kurogane winced and bowed his head again. “I don’t want you to apologize. I shouldn’t have said anything.” 

“No, it’s fine.” Fai bit back his growl. “I don’t regret surviving or getting food on the table. I had talent, people used my talent and I was taken care of.” Fai’s jaw tightened. “I was trained by one group, then given to another. Karen has never forced or made me do a job I was uncomfortable with.”

Kurogane kept his head down and said nothing. He just stared at the hand on his lap. There was nothing he could say to that, so he just kept quiet.

A side long glance at Kurogane was all Fai had to do to reign in his temper. “I’m sorry. That wasn’t what you meant by that. I’m not mad at you.” He sighed. “Lay down with me, you must be tired.”

“I’m not tired.” Kurogane said quietly.

“Hungry then?” Fai lifted his hand to push at Kurogane’s bangs. “I can try to make something. Do you have anything around here?”

“A little…” Kurogane sighed and shook his head. “I’ll probably have to order delivery. What do you want? Don’t worry, it’s safe enough.” He kept his eyes on the hand in his lap. 

“Oh, then I’ll have anything.” Fai abruptly laid upon Kurogane’s lap, his eyes closed. “I’m not upset with you.”

“I’m upset with me.” The larger man moved his hand so Fai’s laying wouldn’t be awkward, and he reached to his phone, which was on the floor next to where he had been sleeping the night before. He sighed once more before pushed a few buttons and spoke lowly into the phone, his voice seeming slightly different than usual, but that could have been the half-English he was using. When the call was done, he hung up and sighed. “There’s some money in my wallet. You’ll need to slide it under the door when the delivery comes.”

“Hm.” Fai replied curling into his lap a little more. “Do they deliver smokes too?”

“That place doesn’t, but there are some in the cabinet…”

“Eh?” Fai blinked and seemed like he was about to sit up but thought better of it and curled back in. “This is better. I’ll get them later.”

“Okay.” Kurogane closed his eyes. “Whatever you want.”

“Am I too heavy for you?” Fai said, a grin almost curling up his lip.

“No. Not at all.” 

“Too light?” 

“I wouldn’t say that’s really possible.” Kurogane sighed a bit. 

“Too cute?”

“Fai…” Kurogane opened his eyes and looked down at him. “What are you trying to get me to say?”

“That you want me to stay where I am.” Fai hooked his arm around one of Kurogane’s legs, his face pressing into his knee. “That it’s okay that I’m here. That you forgive me for what happened. That Shishiosan wasn’t my fault.”

“I don’t want you to move if you don’t want to, except to pay the guy to get food.” Kurogane looked down at him and shook his head. “You wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t okay. And I don’t know what you think you did that you need my forgiveness. You didn’t kill my father.”

“There’s a lot of things I need forgiveness for. Pick one.” Fai sighed, his eyes closed. “Your arm. Can you feel it or is it just too hard to move?

“I don’t think we agree on that first part.” Kurogane shook his head. “But I can feel it. I just can’t get it to respond right now. It hurts, but it should hurt.”

Fai turned his body, his head facing up so he could see Kurogane’s face. “You need to take care of yourself too.” He reached his hand up, his fingers dusting over the edge of the bigger man’s ebony hair line. His hand twitched for a moment a ghost image shadowed Kurogane’s face. Another man with ruby eyes, a face similar yet softer staring down at him. A loose yukata took the place of a Kurogane’s bloody business attire. 

“It really is you.” Fai whispered, leaning himself up as his hand dragged back behind the man’s head. A longing boiled inside of him. A tapestry of sensations woven together and frayed by pains Fai did not dare to fathom, tossed inside of him. Deep dark stains of a life lived long ago, only now soaked through to show on the surface. Fai leaned in to kiss him, his mouth moving hungrily over the Yakuza’s, timid and yet lewd as his tongue explored the offered mouth.

Kurogane blinked up at Fai, completely startled by that kiss, but he let the slender man do as he pleased, his eyes closing as he reciprocated. He thought he had known Fai’s kisses well enough by now, but this was something else. This was a kiss meant for him and someone else at the same time, and jealousy rolled inside him. That was stupid. He was jealous of what was apparently himself. But there was a level of need in that kiss that Fai had never shown towards him before, and he wasn’t sure how to take it.

“Mmm.” When Kurogane returned his kiss, Fai coaxed his tongue into his mouth sucking at it and pushing himself up more, using his elbow and for arm to balance himself. He tasted too good and Fai had no desire to let him go. His head tilted back more, his hair falling back from his shoulders and his face and hang down toward the ground.

Kurogane kept his eyes closed as he continued to kiss him back. He kept pushing down that little bit of jealousy that kept popping up. He wanted to enjoy this, even if it wasn’t completely for him. 

“Sorry.” Fai whispered, breaking the kiss. “I needed to kiss you.” He moved so his back was against Kurogane’s good shoulder while his legs’ were sprawled over his lap. “You’re so warm.” Soft petal lips caressed the ninja’s cheek. 

“Why are you apologizing for kissing me?” Kurogane’s eyes slowly opened and he tried to look at him as best he could with their positioning. “Was it bad?”

“I just did what I wanted. And we have food on the way.” Fai’s tiny pink tongue came out and took a kitten sized lick at Kurogane’s jaw.

“So do you regret kissing me?” Kurogane’s eyes started to close with those licks. 

“No. Not even since our first. Never a day.” Fai whispered into Kurogane’s ear. “My only regret is that we’ll have to stop when dinner arrives.”

“Oh. Then don’t apologize.” Kurogane shivered a little. “As long as I don’t disappoint you.”

“You couldn’t. Ever.” Fai nuzzled again every touch was kept gentle and light, the grace of an experienced lover. 

“I don’t know how you could be so sure. You have all these memories I don’t have…” 

Fai blinked, but smiled softly. It was warm and expressive of insurmountable patience; a look Fai had never shown before. “It’s okay. Past, present, it doesn’t matter. You’re you. Your past is part of that just like it’s part of me. It’s weird.” Fai looked down at his hands as though marveling at them. “It’s confusing. But, well, do I seem like a different person? I’m still me right?”

“You are the same but different.” Kurogane shook his head. “It’s you, but you’re also doing things in ways you haven’t before.” He lifted his hand to touch his cheek. “It doesn’t change how I feel about you. And it’s not bad at all. I just feel slightly inadequate.”

Fai’s head turned into Kurogane’s hand. “Inadequate?” 

“I guess that’s what this is. Like I’m not good enough.”

“Why would you say that?”

“Well you know all of these things, and you’ve done and felt all of these things. What am I? I’m just some punk asshole who couldn’t even stop his brother from killing his father…” Kurogane sighed and his shoulders slumped a bit, which sent some pain through his bad arm, and he winced.

“That’s not-“ The door knocked and Fai blinked, shooting the door a glare as he stood up. Finding the money where Kurogane said it would be he walked over and bent down to slip the money through the gap. 

A loud crack slammed the door open, forcing Fai to bend back to avoid getting hit in the head with the force of blow. He didn’t have time to recover as powerful paws forced the young mage onto his back, a fanged maw clamping tight on his neck, teeth just a hair from shredding his jugular. 

“H-hello Lem.” Fai choked out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reference Song: 
> 
>  
> 
> [ Various Storms and Saints - Florence + the Machine](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qRVtd_X7AFU)


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